BENGALURU: In order to claim the post of hereditary archak, the line of succession should be on the paternal side and not on the maternal side, the Karnataka high court has observed in a recent judgement .
Dismissing the petition filed by MS Ravi Dixit and his brother MS Venkatesh Dixit, Justice NS Sanjay Gowda has said that since the petitioners admit that it was their maternal grandfather who was performing the pooja, obviously they cannot claim that archakship was hereditary. "In fact, in the impugned order also, a finding has been recorded that the father-in-law of the petitioners’ father i.e., Nanjunda Dixit (maternal grandfather of the petitioners) was performing archakship in the temple" the judge further pointed out in his order.
The two brothers ,sons of one MN Subramanya Dixit, had challenged the order passed by the authorities in August 2016 refusing to consider them as hereditary archakas at Sri Mahabaleshwaraswamy Temple at KR Puram, Bengaluru East taluk .
According them, their father Subramanya Dixit continued as archak after their maternal grandfather Nanjunda Dixit and hence they should be considered in his place.
On the other hand, the government advocate argued that since archakship at the temple was traced to the maternal grandfather of the petitioners, their name was not considered for hereditary archakship and in the meantime applications have been invited for the post of archakas at the temple.
After going through the records, Justice Sanjay Gowda has pointed out that in the letter addressed to the Tahsildar of KR Puram on December 30,1980, the maternal grandfather of the petitioners had requested the authorities to allow his son in law to continue as archak in his place.
"In the light of the fact that the petitioners are claiming the right of archakship by virtue of their maternal grandfather being the archak, it is obvious that they cannot claim that archakship was hereditary. In order to claim the post of hereditary archak, the line of succession should be on the paternal side and not on the maternal side" the judge further observed while rejecting the petitions.
