SC orders audit of hygiene, assets, access of all religious shrines: report

The Supreme Court has ordered district courts to conduct audits of religious places and charitable institutions if they receive a complaint regarding hygiene, assets, access and accounts of the institutes.

District magistrates will conduct an audit and send the report to a high court which can treat the reports as a Public Interest Litigation, according to a Times of India report.

"We direct that if any devotee moves the jurisdictional district judge throughout India with any grievance on the above aspect, the district judge may either himself/herself, or by assigning the issue/matter to any other court under his/her jurisdiction, examine the above aspects and if necessary send a report to the high court," the SC said. It posted the matter for further hearing on September 5.

"Difficulties faced by visitors, deficiencies in management, maintenance of hygiene, appropriate utilisation of offerings and protection of assets with regard to shrines, irrespective of religion, is a matter for consideration not only for the state governments and the Centre but also courts," said a bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and S Abdul Nazeer while hearing a PIL last month that highlighted difficulties faced by devotees at the Jagannath Temple at Puri.

Mrinalini Padhi had filed a PIL complaining about the alleged harassment by sevaks at the Jagannath Temple at Puri, unhygienic surroundings and commercialisation of rituals.