The Madras High Court bench here on Friday directed the joint commissioners of all districts in Tamil Nadu to issue a notification on the appointment of the board of trustees in the temples under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.
Justices K K Sasidharan and P D Audikesavalu issued the directive while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Gandhi Mathi Nathan, alleging lack of transparency in the maintenance and security of the temples and their renovation.
The petitioner has submitted that a large number of temples are controlled by the HR&CE department.
The temples were normally managed by a board of trustees and the executive officer. The board and the officials took care of the maintenance and security of the shrines and created the basic infrastructure at these places, he said.
However, in Tamil Nadu, there had been no board of trustees for the last five years. Even the hereditary trustees were appointed only towards the end of their tenure in some big temples
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