Ramana to return as chief priest at Tirupati shrine

VIJAYAWADA: Dr AV Ramana Deekshitulu will return as the chief priest of the famous hill shrine at Tirupati. This will be in line with the order issued by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to reinstate all the Pradhana Archakas/ Archakas (chief priests/priests) belonging to the Mirasi families, who were forcibly retired in May 2018 under the previous TDP regime by the then TTD Trust Board which fixed a retirement age for them. As per the orders issued on Friday, all the priests, who retired under the controversial decision in May 2018, will be restored to their earlier respective positions. The orders were issued as per the High Court judgement delivered in December, 2018.

Members of the Gollapalli, Peddinti, Tirupathamma and Paidipalli families have been serving at the Tirumala temple for generations on hereditary basis. What the controversial decision of the board under the TDP regime did was to do away with the hereditary system in a way by fixing retirement age for them. The same was challenged in the High Court the same year by two priests, Seshadri and Murali, who were forcibly retired. In its verdict, the High Court had held the TTD decision to fix retirement age for hereditary priests as unconstitutional and ruled that hereditary priests belong to a special category intended as custodians of a temple’s customs and traditions, and cannot be treated as normal employees.

However, the court order was not implemented. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who in the Opposition at the time, had promised to restore the hereditary priests if he was voted to power. Keeping his promise, he  had last year issued orders but the same could not be implemented in Tirumala as it is governed by TTD rules.

ARJITHA SEVAS NOT TO BE RESUMED FROM APRIL 14, SAYS TTD

TIRUMALA: In the wake of second Covid-19 wave, TTD has decided to postpone resumption of Arjitha Sevas from April 14. The TTD Trust Board at its meeting in March, decided to resume Arjitha Sevas, which were cancelled due to Covid, from April 14. The TTD will announce fresh date of resumption of Arjitha Sevas after the second Covid-19 wave subsides fully