Radhakrishnan, the trustee of the Thiruthondar Trust, has stated that the trust will not rest until every inch of land belonging to Hindu temples is recovered. His remarks come in the wake of a recent assembly declaration stating that the total temple land possession is 4.78 lakh acres. However, Radhakrishnan raised concerns, pointing out that a previous assembly debate had acknowledged the land to be 5.5 lakh acres, questioning why the current figures are lower. The trust has vowed to reclaim the remaining land that rightfully belongs to Hindu temples across the state.
Speaking to the media in Karur, Radhakrishnan emphasized, “We have consistently stated that approximately 5.5 lakh acres of land in Tamil Nadu belongs to temples, not only us this is a fact that was previously confirmed by the state assembly. However, in the successive sessions, they revised the figure to just 4.78 lakh acres. They have not clarified what happened to the missing acres, despite our repeated petitions to the Madras High Court and received direction from the court. Based on the court’s directives, the government conducted inspections only for name sake but no detailed report or comparative study has been made available.”
He attributed the problem to corrupt officers within the HR&CE (Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments) Department, who, he claimed, were enabling land mafia activities. Radhakrishnan laid the blame squarely on these officials and warned that if they were not identified and removed, the state would face further losses. He urged the government to take immediate action.
Addressing the people of Karur, he assured, “We will leave no inch of land behind. We will recover every piece of land that belongs to the temple in Karur, so the people need not worry.”
கோயில்களுக்கு சொந்தமான நிலம் 5.5 லட்சம் ஏக்கரா? 4.78 லட்சம் ஏக்கரா?… குண்டுமணி இடம்கூட விடாமல் மீட்கப்படும் என திருத்தொண்டர் அறக்கட்டளை அறங்காவலர் ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் பேட்டி…#Temple | #Karur | #Trustee pic.twitter.com/0EAoyJ2cLG
— Polimer News (@polimernews) January 28, 2025
In a related development, in June 2021, the Madras High Court raised concerns about missing temple land. The court questioned the Tamil Nadu government over 47,000 acres of temple land that had reportedly disappeared from government records. While a policy note from 1984-85 stated that 5.25 lakh acres of temple land existed, a 2019-20 note revised that figure down to 4.78 lakh acres. Justices N. Kirubakaran and T.V. Thamilselvi directed the government to file a counter-affidavit explaining the discrepancy and providing details of the missing land, including survey numbers. The court stressed that this information should be readily available to the HR&CE department, which is responsible for the land.
The court’s interim orders followed a writ petition calling for the recovery of the missing land and its restoration to the temples, so the income from it could be used for temple maintenance, rituals, and prayers.
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