The High Court of Karnataka on Friday stayed the government’s order, issued based on the recommendation of a Minister, permanently transferring a large piece of property belonging to the Minto Anjaneyaswamy temple at Chamarajpet in Bengaluru to the managing committee of Male Mahadeshwara Swamy temple, Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district.
The court also ordered notice to the State and H.S. Mahadeva Prasad, Minister for Cooperation and the Minister in-charge of Chamarajanagar district, on whose recommendation the land was “illegally” transferred in September 2014.
A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice Ram Mohan Reddy passed the order on a PIL petition filed by H. Hemaraju and other devotees of the Anjaneyaswamy temple.
Alleging abuse of power by the Minister, the petitioners said that 2,137 square yards of property was given on lease from 1979 to 2014 to the Mahadeshwara Swamy temple’s managing committee. The property was restored to Anjaneyaswamy temple on expiry of lease but later it was permanently handed to the other temple based on Minister’s intervention. Male Mahadeshwara Swamy temple had earned Rs. 6 crore from the property and Anjaneyaswamy temple had received only Rs. 28.59 as lease rent.
The petitioners have claimed that transfer of lands/properties under the Karnataka Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act and rules can be done only if it is beneficial to the temple only after inviting suggestions and objections from the public.
Government order was issued
allegedly on the recommendation
of Minister
Mahadeva Prasad
