On 25 April 25 2024, authorities apprehended four priests affiliated with the Vanabadrakaliamman Temple in Mettupalayam on allegations of “misappropriation of devotee donations.” Alongside them, the temple trustee, implicated in the matter, is reportedly on the run.
The individuals in question were identified by Mettupalayam Police as R Ragupathi (36) from Sulur, S Thandapani (47) from Mettupalayam, S Vishnukumar (33) from Gobichettipalayam, and L Saravanan (54) from Mettupalayam. One of the arrested priests Raghupathi is the son-in-law of the hereditary trustee of the temple Vasantham Sampath.
Law enforcement officials cited CCTV footage as evidence, capturing the four priests taking home donations left by worshippers on offering plates.
US Kailasamurthy, assistant commissioner of the HR&CE department and temple’s executive officer, emphasized that temple priests are obligated to deposit all donations, including those received on offering plates, into the hundi, as mandated by government directives and supported by rulings from the Madras High Court.
To monitor adherence to these regulations, the temple administration installed CCTV cameras. However, Kailasamurthy noted that the accused priests neglected this practice, leading to his petition to the Mettupalayam judicial magistrate court several months prior.
Following the court’s directive on March 14, 2024, the Mettupalayam police initiated legal proceedings against the implicated individuals, including the trustee, Vasantham Sampath. Consequently, on the evening of April 25, the police arrested the four priests, who were remanded in judicial custody the following day.
So @mkstalin administration arrests temple priests for taking the donations left by the devotees on the Arati plates. This is the most blatant display of fascism and discrimination. Temple priests in TN get a pittance from the @tnhrcedept. What is deposited in the Hundi goes to… pic.twitter.com/4REXeC9RcX
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) April 30, 2024
(With inputs from Simplicity and Times of India)
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