Tamil Nadu: We Didn’t Terminate Any Priest From Service, Says HR&CE Minister Shekhar Babu

The minister said that the HR & CE department had recently appointed 58 people for the posts of grade II Archakars (priests) in temples through proper recruitment process

PK Sekar Babu

Chennai: The Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Minister PK Sekar Babu on Monday said that they did not terminate any priest or bhattacharya from temple service. 

Speaking to news persons at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, the minister said that the HR and CE department had recently appointed 58 people who had completed their archakar (priest) training and studied Agama Vidhi, for the posts of grade II Archakars in temples through proper recruitment process.  

The newly appointed priests who are aged below 35 years, are appointed with the intention to lay a strong foundation for the next generation, he said and added that no recruitment was made in the last ten years. 

Pointing out that some people are spreading false news related to the appointments, he said that the appointment was made without disturbing the works of other priests and even aged priests continue to work at the temples. 

“We have no intention of terminating any priest or bhattacharya from temple service. Even at the temples where new priests are appointed, old priests continue to work. If anyone is sent out of the tem ple service and if it is brought to our knowledge, we will take immediate steps to provide alternative work to them,” he said and added that the entire recruitment process was carried out transparently. 

A few days ago, the chief minister MK Stalin appointed a 28-year-old woman Suhanjana Gopinath as odhuvar (one who chants hymns) at Dhenupureeswarar Temple at Madambakkam in Chennai. She has been chanting Devaram and Thiruvasagam.

(With inputs from ABP Nadu — It is a Tamil platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from Tamil Nadu, follow https://tamil.abplive.com/)