The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide details regarding the appointment of the “Arangavalar Committee” (trustee committee) for Hindu temples across the state. The directive was issued by a bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar during a hearing on a petition filed by the Hindu Dharma Parishad.
The state government has been given four weeks to file an affidavit outlining its plans for the formation of trustee committees. This development follows the government’s disclosure that, despite seeking applications for 31,000 temples, only about 7,500 have established such panels, attributing the shortfall to a lack of adequate responses.
During the hearing, the state’s counsel admitted that there was minimal participation in the trustee appointment process despite widespread advertisements. Meanwhile, the counsel for the Hindu Dharma Parishad highlighted the dire state of temple maintenance in Tamil Nadu, noting that many of the state’s 40,000 temples are suffering from neglect. The petitioner’s representative argued that at least 10% of temple offerings should be allocated to their upkeep.
The Supreme Court’s intervention comes after the Madras High Court’s December 9, 2021, decision where Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana dismissed a plea for the statewide appointment of the Arangavalar Committees. The plea had advocated for committees inclusive of retired judges, social activists, devotees, members from scheduled castes, and women to ensure diverse and effective temple management.
The High Court had previously stated that the existing legal framework under the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959, which mandates a board of trustees for temple management including representation from scheduled castes or tribes and women, sufficiently addressed the petitioner’s concerns.
The petitioner had submitted a representation to the state government on November 10, 2021, proposing the formation of such committees to address the ongoing neglect and deterioration of temple infrastructures.
