Bengaluru: BMS Education Trust told to vacate land belonging to temple

Bengaluru: The Muzrai Department directed BMS Education Trust to vacate 35,000 sqft of land – more than an acre – that it had taken on lease from the Karanji Anjeneya temple.

The 30-year-period for which the trust had taken the parcel of land on lease having expired, the Muzrai Department has issued a notice, directing the trust to either vacate the land, or pay Rs 67 lakh every month towards rent should it wish to renew the agreement. Incidentally, the trust had paid Rs 1,000 per month towards rent as per the terms of the earlier agreement.

 The notice issued by the department also accuses the trust of having encroached upon 10,000sqft belonging to the temple. Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy confirmed to DH that the state government was willing to enter into negotiations with the trust.

Pointing out that the state government was not opposed to any educational institutions, Reddy added, “If the trust is willing, we can negotiate, and fix a reasonable price for the rent.”

The revenue generated by the temple property would be used exclusively for the development of that shrine, the minister added. “The revised lease-rent per month for the land has been fixed at Rs 67 lakh per month by the Public Works Department; this sum has been fixed after factoring the infrastructure on the property. After the expiry of the lease period, the property will return to the temple/Muzrai Department,” said Reddy.

Details sourced from the court order show that the land was first leased to the trust in 1973 for a sum of Rs 1 per square foot per month. This was subsequently renewed in 1997, when the rent was increased to Rs 4 per square foot per month, and was incrementally increased 5% every succeeding year. “The lease period ended in November 2023. Although notice was issued multiple times, the trust did not respond, or bother to renew the agreement. Following the order, we have issued a fresh notice to the trust,” said a senior official in the Muzrai Department.

The department subsequently filed a case accusing the trust of having encroached 12.04sqm of the temple’s land. After several hearings, on December 26 last year, the court ordered the trust to vacate the land in 45 days.

Sources in the trust informed DH that they had intimated the government about being willing to sit for a discussion. When DH tried to contact office-bearers of the trust, including P Dayananda Pai, they were not available for comment.