Info on Tamil Nadu temple property, administration to go online for public viewing

Amid a campaign to free temples from government control, the new Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) dispensation in Tamil Nadu has decided to go transparent on assets held by temples under its control by uploading all relevant documents and records online.

The decision to upload details of temple lands, buildings, and other records was taken at a meeting chaired by Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) P K Sekar Babu in Chennai on Tuesday. This was the first meeting Babu held with his department officials after taking over as minister on May 7.

An official explained to DH that the process of digitising the land records and other documents related to temples that come under the department has been on for the past few years based on directions from the High Court and on orders from officials who were in-charge earlier.

“In the next few months, all documents and records relating to temples will be online. The basic motive is to be transparent and to ensure no further tampering of the documents occur. Once we scan the original documents and publish them online, the scope of tampering them further is very minimal. If there is even some tampering, it can be easily found,” the official said.

The meeting decided that details of land and buildings owned by temples under the department and their records should be uploaded on the HR & CE website for public viewing. During the meeting, the minister also said documents relating to movable and immovable properties owned by temples in the state should also be uploaded on the website.

The official added that work of compiling land records by verifying field measurement books and other documents are on. “This is not new. But we are making sure that the process began a few years ago and reached a logical conclusion. Through this, we are making it easy for devotees to know details about any temple,” he said.

A government release said the minister instructed encroachments on temple land should be removed completely, while efforts should be taken to collect “fair rent” from those who occupy premises owned by temples. “Measures to increase the revenue of temples should also be taken,” the minister told the review meeting.

As many as 44,121 temples in Tamil Nadu come under the HR & CE department which manages and controls them.

The decision to be transparent on temple properties, revenue, and documents comes at a time a campaign is underway in Tamil Nadu to free temples from the government. The campaign run by Coimbatore-based spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev has received support from BJP and a few right-wing political outfits.

DMK, while it was in Opposition and now as ruling party, has been opposed to the campaign, saying the temples cannot be handed over to “devotees.” The slew of decisions by the new DMK government also comes close on the heels of Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiagarajan launching a tirade on Vasudev, calling him a “publicity hound” and dismissing the campaign.

After his comments created a controversy, Thiagarajan issued a statement saying he will make no comments on the issue until any new information or further developments come to light.

“The evidence in my possession (some public & some not) which I will share with all relevant authorities (as just a dutiful citizen), convinces me beyond all probable doubt that Jaggi Vasudev has repeatedly, consistently, and continuously violated multiple laws and statutes,” he said.