Tamil Nadu government asks people to give suggestions on Natarajar Temple probe

The advertisement said the government constituted the five-member team to probe allegations of irregularities under Sections 23 and 33 of the act

Days after the Podhu Dikshithars (hereditary priests) of the famous Natarajar Temple in Chidambaram refused to show records to a government team, the Hindu, Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) on Sunday asked people to give “suggestions or advice” to the committee constituted to probe allegations of irregularities.

In an advertisement issued in newspapers, the HR&CE department said persons having interest as per Section 6 (15) of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959 can meet the five-member team at the joint director office in Cuddalore, 180 km from Chennai, on June 20 and 21 between 10 am and 3 pm.

People can also send their comments via post by June 21, the HR&CE said. According to the Act, Section 6 (15) defines a person having interest as someone who is entitled to attend at or is in the habit of attending the performance of worship or service in the temple.

The advertisement said the government constituted the five-member team to probe allegations of irregularities under Sections 23 (powers and duties of the commissioner in respect of temples and religious endowments) and 33 (inspection of property and documents) of the act.

The move asking people to lodge complaints comes days after the Dikshithars refused to entertain the team, contending that the latter had no “jurisdiction” to call for records or inspect the premises.

The department had last month sent a letter to the Podhu Dikshithars informing them of an inspection by a team to check the records since 2014 relating to income and expenses, audit reports, and jewels belonging to the 1,000-year-old temple. The letter was sent based on complaints of irregularities in temple accounts.

The Podhu Dikshithars maintain that HR&CE officials have no “locus standi” to inspect the records of the Sri Sabanayagar Temple as it is not a “public temple.” In 2014, the Supreme Court set aside a 2009 Madras High Court order that allowed appointment of an officer by the HR&CE department to oversee the administration and ruled that Podhu Dikshithars will run the temple.

The apex court’s order drew curtains on the decades-old dispute on who is empowered – the Podhu Dikshithars or the state government – to run the administration of the temple. Though the issue was settled, political parties in the state renewed the demand for HR&CE to take over the temple administration after the DMK assumed office in May 2021.

In their defence of not allowing the team, the Podhu Dikshithars had said the HR&CE Department or its authorities do not have such a jurisdiction to automatically call for records or make an inspection “in this denominational temple at will.

“We reiterate that we maintain all accounts and other records as per our bye-laws of our Temple sattam (law),” they had said in a statement.