The Madras High Court has restrained authorities from demolishing the historic Arulmigu Ponkaaliyamman Temple near Namakkal, granting interim relief to devotees and directing a status quo until further review.
The temple, located at Kumarapalayam in Tiruchengode taluk of Namakkal district, is said to date back several centuries and functions under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. It is currently administered by a non-hereditary trustee board.
Background
The controversy began after the HR&CE Department decided to proceed with demolition works in the name of renovation. A case challenging the move had already been filed in the Madras High Court in 2024 and remains pending.
During peace talks held in December 2025, the HR&CE inspector had reportedly assured stakeholders that no work would commence until the High Court issued directions. However, at a subsequent peace meeting on February 5, attended by the Tiruchengode DSP and HR&CE officials, authorities stated that work would be halted only if a formal stay order was obtained, failing which balalayam (ritual preceding renovation) would be conducted on February 22.
Opposing the proposed balalayam, petitioner Chandrasekaran Kaliyannan of Amma Palayam in Perambalur moved the High Court seeking urgent intervention. Separately, on February 16, Hindu Tamilar Katchi founder-president Ram Ravikumar also submitted a representation to Namakkal Collector Durga Moorthy.
Urgent Hearing and Court’s first Order
With the matter originally listed for February 24, the petitioner sought urgent listing citing the planned February 22 balalayam. Accepting the request, Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy took up the matter and directed that until the next hearing, officials should not commence any demolition or renovation work at the temple.
Following this order, no maintenance or demolition activity was carried out at the Kumarapalayam temple, and devotees who had gathered at the site dispersed peacefully.
Court Pulls up Authorities
During the hearing, government counsel Arun Natarajan initially submitted that only renovation works preserving the temple’s antiquity were being undertaken.
However, he later informed the court that a portion of the temple had already begun to be demolished earlier that morning for renovation purposes.
Taking serious note, Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy directed that the temple must be maintained in the same condition as it existed at 1:45 pm and ordered that no further repair or demolition work should proceed.
Petitioner’s Plea
In his petition, Chandrasekaran Kaliyannan stated that the Ponkaaliyamman Temple is an ancient shrine, estimated by him to be around 300 years old, and argued that the HR&CE Department’s demolition order was unjustified.
He contended that the structure could be renovated without demolition and warned that devotees would be severely affected if the temple were pulled down. He sought quashing of the HR&CE order and a permanent ban on demolition.
Fresh Directions on 23 February 2026
In subsequent proceedings, Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy granted an interim stay on demolition and adjourned the matter to the 23rd, directing the government to submit a status report on the temple’s condition.
The court further ordered that the temple should not be demolished until a detailed re-inspection of the structure is completed. It also directed that before the review committee undertakes inspection; the views of devotees must be obtained and considered.
Until such an exercise is completed and a final decision taken, the court made clear that the temple must not be demolished.
Source: Dinamalar
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