TVK government’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Ramesh has defended the State government’s recent decision to lift the ban on the registration of inam lands in the names of individuals, asserting that the move was legally justified and accusing the BJP and AIADMK of taking contradictory positions despite having made similar promises in their election manifestos.
In an interview to The Hindu published on Monday (27 July 2026), the Minister said that the titles to the lands in question had never been in the names of temples. According to him, the government had lifted transaction restrictions only for 471 specific survey numbers in Karur.
“The legal position is clear. Individual titles were granted under the Inam Abolition Act, the names of the individuals appear in the UDR records, and the same names are reflected in the computerised chitta. At no stage were these lands recorded in the temple’s name in any of these three primary revenue records. Furthermore, no temple has filed a civil suit claiming ownership of these 471 survey numbers,” he said.
Ramesh said individual pattas had been granted by the government 60 to 70 years ago under the prevailing legal framework. Over the decades, families had resided on these lands, constructed residential properties and transferred portions to others.
“These pattas enabled individuals to execute property transactions, obtain bank loans and buy or sell land without hindrance. Moreover, the government itself acquired portions of these lands for public infrastructure projects over the years and paid compensation to the titleholders. Had they not possessed legal title, the government could not have lawfully paid such compensation,” he explained.
Palani Temple Land Case An ‘Eye-Opener’
Referring to the alleged fraudulent registration of land belonging to the Dhandayuthapaniswamy Mutt in Palani in the names of two individuals, the Minister said the incident had served as an eye-opener for the government.
He said the pilot project launched to verify all properties belonging to the Palani temple would now be expanded to cover all major temples across Tamil Nadu. Earlier, the Minister had announced that the special committee tasked with verifying temple lands would comprise officials from both the HR&CE and Revenue Departments.
“This team has been constituted as a pilot initiative to undertake a comprehensive survey. Based on its findings, we plan to constitute similar dedicated teams in the first phase for all major temples with large landholdings,” he told The Hindu.
Ramesh also stated that attempts to sell the disputed land in Palani had begun even before the TVK government assumed office.
According to him, the Joint Commissioner of the HR&CE Department had repeatedly written to the authorities informing them that the property was under dispute, requesting that it should not be registered, and directing the concerned Sub-Registrar not to process any registration.
“However, during that period, an official from another Sub-Registrar’s office was posted as temporary in-charge while the regular officer was on leave. That official proceeded to register the property in a single day,” he said.
The Minister maintained that the department had acted promptly once the registration came to light.
“As soon as we learnt that the registration had taken place, which came to wider public attention following the Chief Minister’s visit to Karur, we immediately lodged a police complaint,” he said.
He further added, “We requested that FIRs be registered on behalf of the HR&CE Department. I personally brought the matter to the Chief Minister’s attention and sought the transfer of the case to the CB-CID to ensure an impartial investigation. The Chief Minister immediately ordered the transfer.”
Action Against Rent Defaulters
On the issue of rent collection from temple properties, Ramesh said the department faced two major challenges.
“The first is that some existing tenants simply default on rent payments. We have initiated proceedings under Section 78 by issuing statutory notices directing them to clear their arrears, failing which they will face eviction and the properties will be repossessed,” he said.
The second issue, according to the Minister, involved temple properties occupied by successive generations of the same family.
“Since no fresh lease agreement has been executed in the names of the current occupants, some contend that they are under no obligation to pay the accumulated arrears,” he said.
Ramesh added that the department had fixed monthly rent collection targets for HR&CE zonal officials and would continue initiating proceedings under Section 78 against non-compliant lessees.
Temple Activists Challenge Minister’s Claims
The Minister’s remarks drew a sharp response from temple activists, who accused the HR&CE Department of misleading him and disputed several of the claims made during the interview.
Temple activists have questioned several of the claims made by HR&CE Minister Ramesh during the interview, arguing that the government’s position raises unanswered legal and administrative questions.
Responding to the Minister’s assertion that the 471 survey numbers in Karur were “never” temple lands, the activists asked what documentary basis the government had for making such a claim, contending that a mere assertion was insufficient to settle the ownership issue.
They also disputed the Minister’s reliance on the fact that no temple had filed a civil suit claiming ownership over the lands. According to the activists, since temples are administered by the HR&CE Department, any failure to initiate litigation reflected the department’s inaction rather than an absence of temple ownership claims.
The activists further questioned whether individuals who were granted pattas had themselves ever established ownership through civil courts. They argued that, instead of pointing to the absence of litigation by temples, the government should explain why the HR&CE Department allegedly failed to invoke Section 41 of the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Act, 1959, to resume inam lands in the names of the temples.
The Minister’s claim that the department was proceeding against rent defaulters under Section 78 of the HR&CE Act was also challenged. The activists questioned how many of the recovery and eviction orders passed under Section 78 had actually been implemented, suggesting that issuing notices alone did not demonstrate effective enforcement.
They also sought an explanation for the alleged halt in the implementation of Section 78 proceedings in Vedaranyam after the TVK government assumed office, alleging that the action had been stopped despite chronic rent defaults.
Questioning the department’s management of temple properties, the activists further alleged that rent revisions for temple and endowment lands had not been carried out for more than a decade, describing the failure as a “criminal dereliction of duty” by HR&CE officials.
The activists also levelled allegations against HR&CE Secretary Kumaragurubaran IAS, claiming that he had been involved in irregularities relating to temple funds, temple properties and the Hindu Religious Common Good Fund during his tenure as HR&CE Commissioner. They alleged that unless the Minister received accurate information from officials, he would not have a true picture of the department’s functioning.
This interview given by Shri @RameshOffcl Minister for @tnhrcedept clearly shows how far removed he is from the truth. How much false information has been fed to him by the HR&CE Department officials. How easily he has been deceived….
1. On what basis the Minister is… pic.twitter.com/vOa3w8flR8
— trramesh (@trramesh) July 28, 2026
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