HC: Post appraisers to verify temple jewellery registers

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has directed the commissioner of Hindu religious and charitable endowment (HR&CE) department to appoint sufficient appraisers to visit major temples under the department and apprise the jewellery and verify the jewellery register every year.

A division bench of justice K K Sasidharan and justice P D Audikesavalu held that it should be the endeavour of the HR&CE department to ensure the valuable jewellery in its temples are kept intact. “The HR&CE commissioner must also maintain the register of jewellery, diamond and other movable and immovable properties of each and every temple,” the bench said.

The bench issued the directions in response to a petition by S Pakshi Sivarajan who moved the court seeking inquiry into the jewellery supposedly stolen/missing from Sri Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram. A division bench had earlier dismissed a petition by the same petitioner to restrain the temple administration from conducting Maha Kumbabishegam (consecration) complaining that the idols are in bad shape.

In the present petition, the petitioner listed 12 items included in the property register of 1972 and stated that in the subsequent register of 1995, the jewellery items do not find a mention. The petitioner also pointed out that an unique conch is also missing from the temple.

The joint commissioner, H&CE, Rameswaram filed a counter stating that there is no mismanagement of jewels by the temple and all of them are accounted for and shown in the register.

Taking note of the submission that there was no reappraisal of jewels after 1978, the court questioned the joint commissioner as to why is that the case, to which the official responded that the post of appraiser is vacant. Apart from passing a direction covering all temples under HR&CE, the court also directed the officials to appraise the jewels and take inventory by the end of May.