Ayodhya Mandapam case: Setback for Tamil Nadu govt as Madras HC rejects state’s takeover, allows fresh enquiry – Times Now

Chennai: In a setback for the Tamil Nadu government, the Madras High Court today set aside a 2013 order in the Ayodhya Mandapam case. The HC today rejected the state’s ‘takeover’ of the temple and paved the way for a fresh inquiry into the matter. The previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam -led government had issued the 2013 order appointing a ‘fit person’ to take over the temple administration.

The matter had been challenged in court by the Shri Ram Samaj, with an interim stay being in place for over eight years. In March this year, the Madras High Court had vacated the stay that had allowed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department to then take over the administration of the Chennai temple. The takeover decision was incidentally taken after the government body received complaints of mismanagement of public funds, a few of them by a society member.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy today set aside the previous order and asked the department to give the control back to the Shri Ram Samaj. The HC also said that the department is at liberty to conduct a fresh inquiry.

While the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had decided to go ahead with the ‘takeover’, the issue had taken politicial overtones in recent days, with protests breaking out. A ruckus had ensued outside the temple in West Bambalam earlier in April as the HR&CE took over the premises, with BJP leaders protesting the move.

If the BJP tried to politicise a temple issue to strengthen the party, it would not succeed, Chief Minister M K Stalin told the Tamil Nadu Assembly on April 12. Speaking on an issue raised by BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, he said that her party would never succeed if it tried to unnecessarily ‘thrust politics’ on the matter which is before a court. The Chief Minister’s remarks came after Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu spoke on the matter.