A private complaint related to alleged land grabbing was filed against Balagangadharanatha Swami, seer of the Mandya-based Adichunchanagiri Math, before the Special Lokayukta Court on Thursday.
The complainant, C. Lakshminarayana, submitted before the court that the seer had illegally acquired 16 acres and 1 gunta of land that had been originally granted to another math situated on Bannergatta Road. Judge N.K. Sudhindra Rao posted the case for May 29.
Documents released to the media by the complainant show that the State government allotted 16 acres and 1 gunta of land to the Ramalingeshwara Swami Temple Trust that manages the 400-year-old Ramalingeswara Cave Temple on Bannerghatta Road.
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The land allotment was made in three phases, between 1981 and 1990, in order to create a protective buffer area around the heritage site.
In 1997, according to the complainant, one Mariappa Swami, who was an office-bearer of the trust that ran the cave temple, transferred the 16 acres of land to the Adichunchanagiri Nagamangala Math.
Mariappa Swami allegedly used a fake Government Order that approved the land transfer.
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The complainant's lawyer, M.R. Vijayshankar, told the court that this land was subsequently used by the Adichunchanagiri Math to construct the multi-storey building that currently houses the “profit oriented” BGS International Residential School.
The complainant also alleged that in return for the “favour”, Mariappa Swami was sold 10 guntas of the land by Balagangadharanatha Swami.
This land was subsequently sold by Mariappa Swami for Rs. 5 crore.