In yet another instance of proving itself to being the Dravidianist mouthpiece, the DMK-family-owned news channel Sun News has seemingly deliberately misreported the Supreme Court proceedings related to the use of temple funds for constructing colleges.
Activist TR Ramesh, who has been fighting legal battles against the diversion of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) resources, accused the channel of spreading misinformation and shielding the Tamil Nadu government.
What Sun News Reported?
The point of dispute arose after Sun News reported that the Supreme Court had questioned what was wrong in using temple land and money for setting up colleges.
The post caption read, “What is the harm in using temple funds for education?” -Supreme Court question “
And their image stated that, “The case filed by Ramesh against the use of Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple funds for education has been dismissed.”
#BREAKING | "கோயில் நிதியை கல்விக்காக பயன்படுத்தினால் என்ன தவறு?" -உச்சநீதிமன்றம் கேள்வி#SunNews | #KapaleeshwararTemple | #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/4n2mtl8ClZ
— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) August 29, 2025
According to Ramesh, this is a misrepresentation of the apex court’s decision. He clarified that the Supreme Court did not issue any order authorising the construction of colleges with temple resources, but only dismissed an appeal in procedural terms, leaving the Madras High Court’s earlier order intact.
What Madras High Court Said
On 29 August 2025, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court quashed multiple government orders issued by the HR&CE Department, which had sought to divert temple funds towards building marriage halls, commercial complexes, and colleges. The court held that such use of temple money was contrary to law unless specifically permitted under Section 34 of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act and supported by demonstrable surplus funds.
The High Court’s ruling, therefore, barred the state from utilising temple wealth for non-religious, commercial, or educational projects without following statutory procedures.
Supreme Court’s Role
When the matter reached the Supreme Court, the appeal against this High Court ruling was dismissed. However, contrary to Sun News’s reporting, the Supreme Court did not say that colleges could be built with temple funds. Instead, the dismissal effectively meant that the High Court’s restrictions remain in force.
Ramesh called out Sun News for deliberately twisting the outcome to favour the government narrative. He pointed out that while the High Court had struck down government announcements to build colleges and other projects with temple resources, Sun News failed to report this, and instead implied that the Supreme Court had given approval.
ஏன்பா Suntv – @sunnewstamil உங்களுக்கு கோயில்கள் விஷயத்தில் – இந்துக்கள் விஷயத்தில் உண்மையே சொல்ல வராதா? இன்றைக்கு உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் வந்த என் வழக்கு, 5 வருடங்களுக்கு மேல் கோயில் நிலங்களை குத்தகைக்குக் கொடுக்கும் முன் செய்யப்படும் அறிவிக்கை சட்டப்படி செய்ய வேண்டும் என்பதே -… pic.twitter.com/yfAM5XCBJK
— trramesh (@trramesh) August 29, 2025
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