The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department on Monday took over the administration of the 64-year-old Ayodhya Mandapam, also known as Ayodhya Ashwamedha Maha Mandapam, in West Mambalam. This was done despite protest by residents of the area, who were supported by representatives of various political outfits.
The protest, which began in the morning, intensified by afternoon and the police made preventive arrests as tension prevailed in the area. BJP councillor Uma Anandan, who was part of the protests, said the move was illegal. The HR&CE Department, she said, had no business in taking over the Sri Ram Samaj-run Ayodhya Mandapam, which was not a temple.
A long-time resident of West Mambalam, S. Murali, said the Ayodhya Mandapam had been built using public money.
“It is a place where religious discourses, Radha Kalyanams and homams take place regularly. The pujas are not held according to the agamas. This is not a temple,” he said.
T.R. Ramesh of the Temple Worshippers Society said that a government servant could not be appointed as trustee in the place of sole trustee, only a practising Hindu can be, as ruled by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court (AIR 1954 SC 388). The appointment of the executive officer (EO) of the Baladandayudhapani Temple in Teynampet as Fit Person was invalid as the EO had no appointment order in the first place.
Sources in the Sri Ram Samaj said they had gone on appeal to the Madras High Court and the case had been admitted and was likely to come up for hearing tomorrow. The Madras High Court in its earlier order had only dismissed the previous writ and said the issue of whether the Ayodhya Mandapam was a temple had to be decided in a suit, he said.
Sources in the HR&CE Department said the Samaj was a public temple as per Section 6(20) of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959. Idols were kept and regular pujas conducted and general public participated in the pujas. The Samaj had been receiving huge amount and was collecting money through hundial. The officials alleged that the money was not being properly accounted for and was being used by a certain section of members for their personal use.
A number of complaints had been received about the mismanagement of the Samaj and when an assistant commissioner, HR&CE, made a spot inspection, idols were found installed.
Meanwhile, the police arrested Kalidas, Karu Nagarajan, Senthil Kumar, Uma Anandan, Elangovan and a few others for preventing public servants from performing their duty and also abusing them. They were later let out on bail.
