Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Nov 15: The state high court (HC), through an judgement delivered on Tuesday November 14, ordered the managing committee of Lord Mahalingeshwara temple here to be dissolved.

This order was passed by a single member bench of the high court presided over by Justice A S Bopanna, duly upholding a writ petition filed by over 40 aggrieved persons including Meenakshi from Aryapu village, which had questioned appointment of members to the said managing committee. The bench observed that appointment of certain members to the committee in violation of Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act has given rise to suspicions.

While ordering dissolution of the current managing committee, the high court directed the state endowments commissioner to form a new committee in its place within a month.

In his arguments, advocate, A Keshava Bhat, who represented the petitioners, noted that Religious Council alone has the power to appoint members to the managing committees of 'A' grade temples in the state. He pointed out that when making appointments to the committee in 2016, people with political background were given preference, in violation of norms and rules.