MHC ordered a petitioner to deposit Rs 3.5 lakhs to test his bonafide
All the petitions were listed before the first divisional bench comprising Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavalu, on Friday.
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court has directed a petitioner to deposit a sum of Rs.3.5 lakhs for his petitions against Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, to test the petitioner's bona fide.
A petitioner Rangarajan Narasimhan from Srirangam, Trichy filed seven petitions in the Madras High Court (MHC) against HR&CE.
All the petitions were listed before the first divisional bench comprising Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavalu, on Friday.
According to the petitioner, that 99.7 percent of the temples in Tamil Nadu are devoid of trustees, and the temples which are deprived of trustees, the fit person single-handedly take decisions that affect the welfare of the temples.
Further, the Secretary of Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments department and the Commissioner of HR&CE indirectly control the affairs of the Hindu Religious Institutions which it cannot legally do directly by appointing government servants as fit persons who continue to make illegal decisions and decades together, reads the petition. He further said, that the executive officers, who double up as fit persons have taken the law into their own hands, kept both the keys, and in many cases do not have hundials with two locks even, continue to open the hundial which goes unmonitored, and they have a red-carpet to do what they please.
The petitioner sought to grant interim direction to the commissioner of HR&CE to submit a detailed report on the number of hundials installed in the temples, with 2 locks, with one lock, the number of temples where the hundials are opened with one lock, and number of temples where both the keys are held by the executive officer.
However, the Chief Justice questioned about the bona fide of the petitioner and directed him to deposit Rs. 50,000 for each petition, in the MHC registry.
The petitioner objected and said that he can't afford to deposit such a lot of money. The Chief Justice observed that the money will be refunded if the petitions are found reasonable and adjourned the petitions.
