Chennai, Apr 12 (PTI) A division bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday declined to interfere with the orders of a single judge, who had refused to entertain a writ plea to quash a 2013 order of the HR&CE department appointing a ‘Fit’ person (Thakkar) to administer the Ayodhya Mandapam, run by Sri Ram Samaj in the city.
The bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and T V Tamilselvi, which rejected the plea, however, permitted the devotees of the Mandapam to continue to offer their worship and the Samaj to run a school and to carry on other religious activities.
The bench was entertaining a writ appeal from the Samaj challenging an order passed by Justice V M Velumani on March 17 and passing interim orders, today.
Ordering notice to the authorities concerned, the bench adjourned the matter till April 21.
While dismissing the writ petition, Justice Velumani had refused to decide as to whether the Sri Ram Samaj was a public temple or not. “There is a dispute with regard to installation of idols and poojas conducted by the petitioner (Samaj) and whether the Samaj is a public temple or not. This disputed question of fact cannot be decided in the writ proceedings. However, it is open to the petitioner (Samaj) to challenge the proceedings before the appropriate forum,” the judge had said.
The judge was dismissing a writ petition from the Samaj filed in 2014 challenging an order dated December 31, 2013 of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment department, by which the ‘Fit Person’ was appointed for the Samaj.
Earlier, during the writ proceedings, the HR&CE had informed the single judge that the Samaj was a public temple. It received huge amounts towards donations and was collecting amounts through hundials. There was no proper accounting for the amount so received. The members were using the same for personal use of its members.
Umpteen number of complaints had been received about the mismanagement of the said Samaj and the HR&CE officials had made a spot inspection and found that the idols were installed in the Samaj and that poojas were conducted and amounts were collected through hundials. To rectify the mismanagement by the members of Samaj, the ‘Fit person’ was appointed, which is valid and legal, the department had said.
In its appeal, the petitioner Samaj denied all the allegations. M V Ramani, a member of the Samaj, was in the habit of making false allegations against the Samaj and the department hastily reacted by making the appointment, which was without jurisdiction and hence illegal, it added. PTI CORR SA SA
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