The Podhu Dikshithars, hereditary custodians -cum-archakas of Sri Sabanayagar temple in Chidambaram took strong exception to a team from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) visiting the temple on Tuesday, seeking all details related to revenue and expenditure and audit reports. They said the authorities had no power to call for records or make an inspection in the denomination temple at will.
The team comprising C. Jothi, Assistant Commissioner of HR and CE in Cuddalore, Natarajan, Joint Commissioner of Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple, Palani, and four others visited the temple at 10 a.m. The team held discussions with the Podhu Dikshithars and sought details relating to revenue and audit reports from 2014. However, the Dikshithars took strong exception to the visit and clarified that they were ready to give full cooperation to a validly-formed committee that had jurisdiction to carry out verification and audit of the temple.
“Our legal stand is very clear. The Podhu Dikshithars constitute a religious denomination as per the apex court verdict on January 6, 2014, and would operate as ‘Res Judicata’ in all future cases. It is, therefore, amply clear that the HR and CE Department has no jurisdiction of administration in this temple and this is fortified by Section 107 of the TN HR and CE Act, 1959”, Chandrasekhar, legal counsel of the Podhu Dikshithars told reporters.
