The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, heard a batch of petitions challenging the Madras High Court’s decision to quash a First Information Report (FIR) against Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor Company and a board member of Tata Sons, in a case concerning the alleged theft and unauthorised replacement of an antique idol at Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, LawBeat reported.
During the hearing, a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi questioned the Tamil Nadu government’s system of state-appointed officials managing Hindu temples, asking whether similar arrangements existed in places of worship belonging to other religions.
“Be it Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Muslim or any other religion,” Justice Kumar questioned, asking whether officials appointed by the state government sat inside places of worship and prepared inventories.
Additional Advocate General Prashanto Chandra, appearing on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, responded, “Maybe the Waqf Act has a provision. There is a mutawalli, perhaps.”
Justice Kumar, however, countered the argument, pointing out, “But that is an elected person, not state representation.”
Temple activist Rangarajan Narasimhan, who has challenged the Madras High Court’s decision before the Supreme Court, subsequently highlighted the difference between the management of Hindu temples and that of other religious institutions.
“No other religion has an Act that allows the state executive to sit inside a temple and manage it,” Narasimhan submitted.
The proceedings concern the Tamil Nadu government’s control over Hindu temples through the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, as well as allegations surrounding the replacement of a historic idol at Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple.
The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for 29 October 2026.
Controversy Over Alleged Replacement of Antique Peacock Idol
The case concerns an antique peacock idol at the Punnaivananathar Sannidhi inside Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple. The allegations state that the original idol was removed during renovation work in 2004 and replaced with another idol that differed in a significant detail.
According to the complaint, the original peacock idol depicted the bird holding a flower, whereas the replacement depicted it holding a snake in its beak.
Rangarajan Narasimhan filed a complaint in August 2018, raising concerns about the idol and the conduct of temple authorities working under the Tamil Nadu government’s HR&CE Department.
Following the complaint, the state police’s Idol Wing initiated an investigation and questioned officials of the HR&CE Department.
Venu Srinivasan, who served on a government-appointed committee overseeing the temple’s reconstruction, was also named in the case.
The police registered an FIR in 2018, and the Idol Wing subsequently included Srinivasan and others in a final report submitted in 2022.
Srinivasan then approached the Madras High Court, challenging the criminal proceedings against him.
Madras High Court Quashed FIR in February 2024
On 16 February 2024, the Madras High Court quashed the FIR against Srinivasan and set aside the proceedings challenged before it.
The dispute also involved the state’s contention that a resolution had allegedly been passed indicating that the idol was replaced before the temple’s Kumbhabhishekam, or consecration ceremony, on 30 August 2004.
The state maintained that an idol had existed before the alleged theft, in response to claims concerning the absence of an idol depicting a peacock holding a flower.
Challenging the High Court’s decision, Narasimhan approached the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the ruling that quashed the FIR.
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