New revelations have emerged concerning the troubling situation surrounding the priests of the Mettupalayam Vana Badrakaliamman temple, who have been apprehended and detained by the authorities.
Situated in Thekkampatti near Mettupalayam, Coimbatore district, the Vanabadrakaliamman Temple falls under the jurisdiction of the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE). It draws thousands of devotees from various districts of Tamil Nadu, such as Coimbatore, Tirupur, and Erode, as well as from other states, on special occasions.
A dispute has emerged between Vasantha, the hereditary trustee of the temple, and Kailasamurthy, the Assistant Commissioner, which has reportedly been ongoing for several months.
Kailasamurthy, in his capacity as the temple’s assistant commissioner, lodged a complaint with the Mettupalayam court, alleging that the priests—Raghupathi, Thandapani, Vishnukumar, and Saravanan—mishandled the offerings brought by devotees to the temple. Despite being made aware of these allegations, Trustee Vasantha purportedly delayed taking appropriate action. Consequently, immediate measures were urged against the implicated individuals.
Following a court directive, the Mettupalayam police initiated legal proceedings against five individuals, including Vasantha, the hereditary trustee. While the priests Raghupathi, Thandapani, Vishnukumar, and Saravanan were arrested and detained on 25 April 2024, Trustee Vasantha absconded. Notably, Raghupathi is Vasantha’s nephew, and their arrests mark the climax of tensions between the trustee and the assistant commissioner.
In response to inquiries about the matter, relatives of the hereditary trustee pointed out a shift in Kailasamurthy’s behavior over the past four months, suggesting a previously unproblematic tenure of nearly two years. They assert that Kailasamurthy has imposed arbitrary rules, such as prohibiting priests from accepting plate offerings at the Vanabadrakaliamman temple, while turning a blind eye to similar practices at other temples like the Subra Maniyaswamy Temple near the Bhavani River and the Sakthi Vinayagar Temple near the Mettupalayam bus stand.
Further, they accuse Kailasamurthy of engaging in various irregularities, including making unauthorized purchases such as a costly television set for the temple without proper procurement procedures or tender. Additionally, they allege that he falsely promised to construct a four lactation room but had built only three. Moreover, the trustee’s relatives contested claims of nepotism in priest appointments manipulated job interviews, resulting in Trustee Vasantha canceling interviews scheduled for the following day, asserting that the selection process was conducted transparently, with only qualified candidates being hired later.
To address these irregularities, a case has been filed in the Madras High Court. Consequently, Kailasamurthy lodged a complaint with the Mettupalayam police station alleging that the trustee was unaware of the priests accepting plate offerings.
Initially, Kailasamurthy refrained from filing a First Information Report (FIR) at the police station, instead opting to file it through the Mettupalayam court. Additionally, it is alleged that the arrested priests, who have not been on permanent payroll for two to three years, have not received their due compensation. This clash between the hereditary trustee and the assistant commissioner has deeply unsettled the temple’s devotees, who are calling for government intervention to resolve the situation amicably.
Assistant Commissioner Kailasamurthy refuted the allegations, citing video evidence and emphasizing that all temple operations adhere to tender procedures. He maintains that the accusations against him are baseless.
In light of this recent incident, temple activist TR Ramesh has slammed the HR&CE department saying “The @tnhrcedept which has done many many financial and administrative frauds in Sri Vanabadrakaliamman Temple, Tekkampatti, Tamil Nadu – had got four poojaris of the temple arrested for taking the plate offerings – dakshina – given to them by devotees. The Executive Officer of the temple is functioning in this temple from 1973 – Only by a FRAUD on the HR&CE Act.”
He said that he is willing to help the Hereditary Trustee and other devotees of this temple to legally throw out the illegally present “Executive Officer”.
“The Dept has to answer many financial and administrative illegalities it has done in this temple – Time to file criminal cases against current and past Executive Officers of this temples – the Commissioners of the @tnhrcedept for criminal misappropriation of this temple funds. I am sure TN Govt will agree with me since they seem to approve arrest of poojaris for taking plate offerings given by Devotees. Crores of monies have been taken by @tnhrcedept officials without legal procedures or authority – they should be arrested too!“, he said.
The @tnhrcedept which has done many many financial and administrative frauds in Sri Vanabadrakaliamman Temple, Tekkampatti, Tamil Nadu – had got four poojaris of the temple arrested for taking the plate offerings – dakshina – given to them by devotees.
The Executive Officer… pic.twitter.com/7La5ORe5an
— trramesh (@trramesh) May 2, 2024
(With inputs From Dinamalar)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.