Set back to Tamil Nadu govt! HC sets aside state govt’s Ayodhya Mandapam order
A bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy ordered the department to hand over the temple administration to the Samaj, while quashing an order passed by a single-judge bench of the court on March 31 dismissing a writ petition filed by the Samaj
Chennai, April 28: Giving a major setback to the M K Stalin led Tamil Nadu government, the Madras High Court set aside the order of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department taking over the administration of the Ayodhya Mandapam, a temple that was run by the Sri Ram Samaj at West Mambalam in Chennai.
A bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy ordered the department to hand over the temple administration to the Samaj, while quashing an order passed by a single-judge bench of the court on March 31 dismissing a writ petition filed by the Samaj
The court allowed the government department to conduct a fresh inquiry to see if there were any irregularities at the temple warranting the department’s oversight.
While pronouncing the verdict, the court opined that the single bench had not considered the merits of the case and merely dismissed the Samaj’s petition citing the existence of alternative remedies. Further, the judges said the government order was passed without following the procedures of natural justice.
"The notice sent by the department did not disclose the details of the allegations levelled against Samaj. Further, no opportunity of hearing was given to appellant Samaj. The department passed the orders merely stating that the Samaj was a public temple as per Section 6 (20) of the HR and CE Act, 1959, as it fulfilled the conditions stated in the Act. The department had failed to look into the objectives of the Samaj and other activities carried out by the Samaj," the website quoted the court as saying.
Last week, HRCE appointed a fit person to manage the Mandapam’s affairs and forcibly took it over despite protests based on a 2013 court order. The order was served after allegations of mismanagement surfaced against Sri Ram Samaj which runs the Mandapam. However later it came to be known that a disgruntled individual had gone to court as his membership application was rejected by the Samaj.