TN govt told to remove electric fence around Tirunelveli temple

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday directed the State government to remove electric fences erected around the Arulmigu Sri Padalinga Sastha Temple in Tirunelveli within four weeks and file a compliance report.

The division bench of Justices P Velmurugan and KK Ramakrishnan observed that temple administrators and government officials were negligent in protecting temple lands. They noted that ancestors donated land to temples so devotees could visit and worship in peace, without hindrance.

The Bench issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by Bharathidasan of Tenkasi, who contended that the fences caused hardship for devotees. One devotee suffered electric shock injuries from the high-voltage fencing, he alleged.

According to the petitioner, the temple is located at Pottal in Malayankulam village, Cheranmahadevi taluk and the lands around it belong to the Arulmigu Sathankulam Viswanatha Swamy Temple in Thoothukudi district.

The petitioner said the temple land, spanning 0.63.5 acres, was originally gifted by the late Gobalakrishnan Pillai in 1944 under a Specific Endowment Deed to the Sathankulam Viswanatha temple, represented by its trustees.

He alleged that in 1987, descendants of the founders, acting as hereditary trustees, executed illegal sale deeds in favour of private entities, including Vishu Agro Private Limited, in violation of statutory provisions.

Vishu Agro then allegedly got the revenue records of the temple properties mutated in favour of Lakshmi Mills Company Limited, Coimbatore. The petitioner claimed that the company created multiple shell entities to grab temple lands and evade tax liabilities.

He further stated that during the annual Panguni Uthiram festival in March 2026, the company dug deep trenches along the traditional pathway to the temple, causing difficulty to devotees. After the district administration filled the trenches, the company installed live electric fences covering the entry points and access routes, he alleged.

The petitioner alleged that the live fencing posed a severe danger to devotees, and that one devotee sustained electric shock injuries from the high-voltage fence. Hence, he sought a direction to remove the fences on the traditional paths.

The Bench also directed the State to file a report on the petition, besides submitting the compliance report.