HC rejects brothers’ claim for hereditary priesthood on maternal lineage

The line of succession for hereditary Archakas (priest) should be on the paternal and not maternal side, the high court has said.

The court made this statement while rejecting the claim by two brothers that they should be considered for the Archakaship (priesthood) of the Sri Mahabaleshwara Swamy Temple at KR Puram since their maternal grandfather was performing puja there.

M S Ravi Dixit and his brother M S Venkatesh Dixit filed the petition challenging an August 2016 order refusing to consider them as the temple’s hereditary Archakas. They contended that their father continued as Archaka after their maternal grandfather and they should therefore, be considered in his place.

The government advocate argued that that since the Archakaship at the temple was traced to the petitioners’ maternal grandfather, applications have been invited for the post of Archakas at the temple.

Perusing the records, Justice Sanjay Gowda noted that in a letter addressed to the KR Puram tahsildar on December 30, 1980, the petitioners’ maternal grandfather had requested the authorities to allow his son in law to continue as Archaka in his place.

The court also noted that there is a finding recorded in the order that the father-in-law of the petitioners’ father was performing Archakaship in the temple.

“In the light of the fact that the petitioners are claiming the right of Archakaship by virtue of their maternal grandfather being the Archaka, it is obvious that they cannot claim that Archakaship was hereditary.

"In order to claim the post of hereditary Archaka, the line of succession should be on the paternal side and not on the maternal side,” the court concluded.