Detain Temple Encroachers Under Goondas Act, Madras HC Tells TN Govt

HC said, Tamil Nadu government, HR and CE department and police department should not hesitate to invoke Goondas Act against those who encroach temple lands for their personal and unjust gains.

Madras High Court (File picture)

Chennai: The Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to issue a public notification directing all those who encroached temple properties in the state to surrender the lands voluntarily within a stipulated period. 

According to a report in IANS, the court had directed the Hindu Religious and Endowment (HR and CE) department to specially mention in the notification that criminal proceedings would be taken up against all those who fail to surrender the temple properties voluntarily within the deadline. 

According to the report, Justice S Subramanian in his order said that the Tamil Nadu government, HR and CE department and police department should not hesitate to invoke Goondas Act against those who encroach temple lands for their personal and unjust gains. The court further made it clear that action should be taken against the encroachers either by invoking Goondas Act or HR and CE ACt depending upon the individual case. 

The report further said that the court had ordered the concerned department to form a special cell to retrieve the encroached temple lands. 

The court, according to the report, said that only officers with impeccable integrity should be included in the cell and their telephone numbers should be displaced in all the temples and at HR and CE offices to receive encroachment-related complaints. 

Misappropriation of temple funds was also an offence and such offences should be registered and offenders should be prosecuted by the state, the court said and added that it was their duty to protect and safeguard the properties of religious and charitable institutions from wrongful claims of misappropriation, the report added.