Fresh controversy has erupted over the management of temple properties in Tamil Nadu after a legal notice accused senior officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department of the Joseph Vijay TVK government of attempting to abandon legal proceedings that seek to recover more than ₹28 crore allegedly owed to the Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai.
The notice, issued on 28 July 2026, has been served on the Secretary to the Registration, Commercial Taxes and Religious Endowments Department, the HR&CE Commissioner, and the Executive Officer of the temple. It calls upon the authorities not to withdraw three writ appeals currently pending before the Division Bench of the Madras High Court.
At the heart of the dispute is a common order passed by a Single Judge of the Madras High Court on 8 November 2024, relating to lease rent arrears payable by Avvai Home. According to the legal notice, the arrears payable to the temple had been quantified at ₹28.03 crore under Section 34-A of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959. However, the Single Judge permitted the matter to be settled upon payment of just ₹25 lakh as full and final settlement.
The court did not hold the rent fixation to be illegal or arbitrary yet allowed a settlement amounting to less than one percent of the dues claimed by the temple. It was against this order that the temple administration filed Writ Appeal Nos. 1129, 1133 and 1134 of 2026 before the Division Bench.
The controversy now centres on allegations that the HR&CE Department is considering withdrawing those appeals.
According to the legal notice issued by temple activist TR Ramesh, when the appeals were listed before the First Bench of the Madras High Court on 3 July 2026, counsel representing the temple administration sought additional time to obtain instructions on whether the appeals should be withdrawn. TR Ramesh stated that this has raised serious concerns that the department may allow the Single Judge’s order to attain finality, effectively foregoing more than ₹28 crore allegedly due to the temple, apart from applicable interest.
Such a decision would amount to abandoning the temple’s lawful claim and would be contrary to the fiduciary obligations of the HR&CE authorities, who administer the temple and its properties.
To strengthen its argument, the notice points to another judgment delivered by the same judge on 25 September 2025, in Amrutanjan Ltd. v. Commissioner, HR&CE, concerning lease arrears payable to the Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore. In that case, the court held that requests for leniency in payment of enhanced lease rent could not be entertained because doing so would adversely affect properties endowed to religious institutions and consequently directed recovery of the full arrears.
TR Ramesh has questioned why a different approach should be adopted in the Tiruvannamalai case and urged the HR&CE Department to pursue recovery of the entire amount instead of abandoning the appeals.
In a statement shared on social media, TR Ramesh alleged that any attempt by the HR&CE Commissioner, the Department Secretary, or the temple’s Executive Officer to withdraw the appeals would amount to a “criminal breach of trust,” citing Sections 316(5) and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and that foregoing ₹28 crore belonging to the temple would constitute a betrayal of the institution’s interests.
TR Ramesh has also called upon HR&CE Minister S. Ramesh to immediately intervene, order an inquiry into the alleged move, and ensure that no compromise is reached at the expense of the temple’s finances. He further urged the Tamil Nadu government to prevent the withdrawal of the appeals and, if any wrongdoing is established, initiate appropriate criminal proceedings against the officials concerned.
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