TTD takes possession of Gandi temple

High Court, however, quashes government’s order

TTD Deputy Executive Officer C. Govindarajan and Estates Officer L. Vijayasarathi formally taking over the Gandi Veeranjaneya Swami temple from the Endowments Department on Wednesday.

The TTD formalised the process of taking over the famed Gandi Veeranjaneya temple in Chakrayapet mandal of Kadapa district on Wednesday.

However, acting on a complaint by Congress leader and Rayalaseema Porata Samithi convener P. Naveen Kumar Reddy, the High Court quashed the G.O. No. 347, which directed the TTD to take possession of the temple.

A team of TTD officials, comprising Estates Officer L. Vijayasarathi, Deputy Executive Officers C. Govindarajan (Vontimitta group of temples), Sudha Rani (General), Kasturi Bai (Services), Devendra Babu (Treasury and Inventory), Chief Accounts Officer Ravi Prasad, Assistant Vigilance and Security Officer Pavan Kumar and Deputy Executive Engineer Rajasekhar Reddy, reached the temple on Wednesday morning and formally brought the temple under the TTD fold, duly following the State government’s order.

Endowments Assistant Commissioner P. Guruprasad handed over the relevant documents and orders to the TTD officials, who also took control of their respective portfolios. The temple has deposits worth ₹4.33 crore, 900 grams of gold, and 100 kg silver, which also technically came into the TTD fold.

Complainant’s contention

After this development, the High Court gave its verdict, quashing the order issued by the government to take over the temple, taking up for hearing the case filed by Mr. Naveen Reddy, who had sought the court’s intervention on two grounds – one, the takeover had not been approved by the TTD Trust Board (there is no board now) and two, the Endowments Department had not expressed its inability to run the temple, which was a prerequisite for handing over a temple to another management.

Taking potshots at the government for “unilaterally” going ahead with its plan, Mr. Naveen Reddy accused it of planning to divert the Lord’s money from the TTD’s exchequer to be spent in and around Gandi in the name of development for non-temple activities.

Mr. Reddy also faulted the “undue haste” with which the TTD rushed a team to Gandi temple to formalise the takeover process after notices had been served and before the verdict was out.

As the takeover was now over, officials of both the Endowments and TTD were clueless, waiting for the government to issue a new direction.