The police have registered a case against DMK functionary Ramkumar for allegedly encroaching on land belonging to the Srirangam temple by using forged documents, as reported in Dina Mani.
Ramkumar serves as a DMK area secretary in Tiruchirappalli, while his wife is a councillor in the Tiruchirappalli Corporation.
According to the complaint, the land, reportedly worth around ₹50 crore, was originally dedicated to the Srirangam temple in 1930 for public purposes. It is alleged that Ramkumar used fake documents to illegally register the property in 2022 and subsequently encroached upon the temple land.
The complaint further alleges that a DMK party office is currently being operated on the allegedly encroached land.
Based on the complaint, police have reportedly registered a case against Ramkumar under six sections. An investigation is currently underway.
Reports also indicate that Ramkumar could be arrested in connection with the case.
50 crore worth land belonging to Srirangam temple was fraudulently registered by this DMK guy Ram Kumar to his name . Irony is that this guy also runs a kutti arivalayam ( dmk office) in that piece of land . Hearing that an FIR has been registered against this person by the… pic.twitter.com/GYV5944Upq
— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) September 19, 2026
More Details About The Case
The complaint was filed by Sivaramkumar, Joint Commissioner and Executive Officer of the Arulmigu Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangam. The FIR names Ramkumar, Padma Rengarajan, Vijaya Krishnasamy, R. Sowntharrajan and Vengatavaradhan, besides the Srirangam Sub-Registrar.
According to the complaint, the dispute concerns 7,515 square feet of land in Velli Thirumutham village, Srirangam, falling under old T.S. No. 762/1 and new T.S. No. 2620.
The temple claims that the larger parcel, measuring 5 acres and 87 cents, falls under Resurvey No. 298 and is covered by Title Deed No. 1027. The complaint cites the 1898 Resurvey and Settlement Register and the 1930 Settlement Register as records supporting the temple’s ownership claim.
The complaint states that a portion of the original survey land was subsequently used for a government hospital, for which the government has allegedly been paying rent to the temple. It claims that the remaining portion of the survey land belongs to the temple.
The complaint alleges that Padma Rengarajan and Vijaya Krishnasamy created documents purporting to establish rights over the 7,515-sq-ft property and transferred it to Ramkumar for ₹1.45 crore. The alleged transaction was registered at the Srirangam Sub-Registrar’s Office on December 5, 2022, as Document No. 3928/2022.
The FIR further alleges that R. Sowntharrajan registered Document No. 3960/2022 on December 7, 2022, for ₹72.5 lakh, claiming rights over the temple property. A rectification deed, Document No. 177/2023, was subsequently registered on January 19, 2023.
Similarly, Vengatavaradhan allegedly registered Document No. 4069/2022 on December 15, 2022, for ₹72.5 lakh, claiming rights over the disputed property. The complaint states that another rectification deed, Document No. 133/2023, was registered on January 9, 2023.
Ramkumar’s DMK role mentioned in complaint
The temple’s Executive Officer has alleged that the five individuals acted together with the intention of acquiring temple property and created the disputed documents despite allegedly knowing that the land belonged to the temple.
The complaint specifically states that M. Ramkumar was serving as the Srirangam DMK area secretary and alleges that he misused his party position in connection with the alleged transactions.
Sub-Registrar named as accused
The FIR also names the Srirangam Sub-Registrar who was serving at the time of the disputed registrations.
According to the complaint, the temple had issued legal notices to the Sub-Registrar stating that the property belonged to the temple and requesting that no documents concerning it be registered. The complaint alleges that the disputed documents were nevertheless registered.
The temple has sought action against the Sub-Registrar and any other persons found to have assisted in the alleged transactions.
Temple cites historical ownership records
The complaint also refers to proceedings under Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1963, stating that a ryotwari patta was issued in favour of the temple following proceedings before the competent authorities and court.
It further claims that subsequent settlement and administrative proceedings recognised the temple as the full owner of the property and cites Title Deed No. 1027 as part of the documentation supporting that claim.
The temple has also argued that documents relating to its properties registered without the requisite prior approval of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Commissioner would not be legally valid.
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