The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department today (4 May) withdrew its order on transferring Rs 10 crore of funds from Hindu temples in the State to the Chief Minister’s Covid-19 Relief Fund, after the Madras High Court found it “not legally tenable”.
A Madras High Court public interest litigation (PIL) bench, comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and Pushpa Sathyanarayana, found the 22 April order untenable while taking up three petitions against the 22 April HR&CE order for hearing.
The judges found merit in the argument of the counsel of T R Ramesh, President, Hindu Temple Worshippers Society, who sought a stay on the order. Besides Ramesh, Tamil daily Dinamalar editor R R Gopaljee and another person, too, had a filed PIL against the HR&CE circular.
Congratulations to devout Hindu advocate @trramesh ji and others for compelling Tamil Nadu Govt to withdraw discriminatory order asking Hindu temples to donate for CM Relief Fund for #Corona, while Hindu poojaris are facing hardships due to ongoing lockdown ! https://t.co/SPF3Frb885
— HinduJagrutiOrg (@HinduJagrutiOrg) May 4, 2020
The Department’s issued a fresh circular immediately withdrawing its 22 April order.
Ramesh told Swarajya that the judges accepted his contention that the HR&CE Commissioner could not pass a circular under Section 36-B of HRCE Act, 1959 when he himself was the sanctioning authority.
Section 36-B of HRCE Act, 1959 is on utilization of temples surplus funds for making contributions towards funds for the purpose of feeding the poor (annadhan). This section was introduced by the Tamil Nadu government in 1983 under The Tamil Nadu Act.
Ramesh argued that under Sec 36-B the trustees of temples had to seek the HR&CE Commissioner’s approval for utilizing temple funds. In turn, the Commissioner had to publish the request and seek comments from the devotees.
Also Read : #LootTemplesGiftMinorities trends as Hindus protest against loot of temples and appeasement of minorities by Govts
In this instance, the Commissioner issued a circular on the utilization of funds that he himself would have to sanction, the petitioner argued, resulting in the judges accepting the order was “not legally tenable”.
The State Government counsel told the bench that the HR&CE Commissioner would withdraw the order and file an affidavit on 9 May (Friday) but the judges said it would perhaps have to issue a fresh one withdrawing the earlier one.
The HR&CE Department then issued the order in the afternoon saying that it was withdrawing the earlier order for “administrative reasons”.
The HR&CE order led to a hue and cry being raised in Tamil Nadu against the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.
This was in view of the Edappadi K Palaniswami government milking the temples of their funds even as it offered 5,450 tonnes of rice free of cost to mosques.
Already, the Tamil Nadu government had wanted to legalize squatters on temple lands before the Madras High Court stepped in to stay the order, drawing criticism from devotees of temples.
The state government has termed the landholdings of the temples as “unwanted lands” in the court while seeking to vacate the stay.
Source : SwarajyaMag
Tamil Nadu Govt forces Hindu temples to contribute to CM Relief fund, showers largesse on Muslims during Ramzan
30th April 2020
At a time when the clamour for freeing of Hindu temple administration from the clutches of Tamil Nadu government is increasing, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Dept (HR & CE) of the state government has directed 47 temples to give Rs. 10 crore of surplus income to CM relief fund besides the target amount to take care of the poor. This move has come in for severe criticism as the same has not been demanded from the Chrisitian and Muslim institutions that get government grants yearly.
As a age old saying goes, Butter in one eye and lime in another, the HR & CE Principal Secretary K Panindra Reddy has directed all officials working under him in 47 temples including Madurai, Palani, Thiruchendur, Tiruttani, Thiruvannamalai, Rameswaram, Mylapore, and others to contribute Rs 35 lakhs each from the surplus funds towards feeding the poor due to lockdown. Other temples have been directed to give an amount ranging from Rs 15 lakhs to 25 lakhs. All 47 temples have to transfer the surplus fund of ten crores to CM Corona Relief fund.
There are over 36,000 ancient temples under the control of HR and CE. Lakhs of Poojaris are solely dependent on the offerings from the devotees. With the Corona pandemic and lock down, they are now left in lurch and facing starvation. Instead of helping them the TN state government has its eye on the wealth of Hindu temples to pursue its politics of appeasement.
Muslim appeasement at the cost Hindu money
Before the start of the Ramzan fasting, the state government had announced a bonanza to Muslims. It was initiated by late CM Jayalalitha to win their hearts and votes. TN government had announced that 5,450 ton rice will be given to 2,895 mosques to prepare porridge this year too which as per a simple calculation amounts to Rs.21,80,00,000. The same is not extended to the Hindus during Chitra and aadi months for preparing offerings to the village goddesses. Festivals in temples have been cancelled due to lockdown but it seems that appeasement of Muslims is important for the government at the cost of Hindu temple money.
In extending largesse to minority communities as part of appeasement policy, the incumbent AIADMK government has proved that none can match it. While presenting the budget for 2020-21, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam had announced that the fund for annual maintenance of mosques across the state would be increased to 5 crores from Rs.60 lakhs. He also said the government would spend Rs.5 crore on repairs and maintenance of churches against the earlier allocation of Rs.1 crore. The Dy CM had announced Rs.2.50 crores for annual administrative grant for the Wakf Board. Over 3.64 lakh Minority community students would be given Rs 98.66 crore as scholarships. This was, allegedly, done to mollify them after their anti CAA protests.
In February last, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the state government would give 50 percent subsidy to ‘Ulemas’ for buying two-wheelers and will also hike their pension from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000. The policy of the present rulers of TN seems to treat Hindu temples as the golden goose and extract all money till it goes dry.
Temple money for Hindu causes only
Srivilliputhur Vaishnavite Matha head Sadagopa Ramanuja Jeeyar has urged the government to spend the temple money to pay priests who are in penury and to make offerings to deities. Puthiya Tamizhagam chief Dr Krishnaswamy has appealed to the CM to return the Rs 10 crore amount received from Temples.
Vedic Research Centre chief Bala Gauthaman has questioned the rationale behind the government decision. He said according to HR and CE act, temple income is only to be utilized for its expenses like maintenance, salary to priest, cook and others. How can the government order its officials, trustees to donate the same compulsorily? “Panindra Reddy has no jurisdiction to direct so,” he pointed out. He added that the trustees can use the money only for lawful expenses which are mandated as per law or custom. “If they transfer money, it is illegal. At one side the government asks temples to contribute to the CM relief fund and at other side gives free rice to mosques at taxpayer’s cost. This is like the rule of the Mughals and transfer of temple money like Jizya tax” he said.
Hindu Munnani has said that “At a time when the state is reeling under the corona crisis, what was the need to give rice free of cost and make Muslims to assemble at mosques disobeying social distancing norms? Like pongal gifts being given to all ration card holders including Muslims, Christians, through PDS shops, it should have given rice to all as the state has a well-knit PDS system.”
Forum for religious freedom in its paper has written, “This astounding fact of a supposedly secular government operating, selling the assets of, distributing the collections of, and in other ways imposing state control – often with appointees who are non-Hindu, and even anti-Hindu, bureaucrats or politicians – over Hindu temples, is directly responsible for the pathetic condition of many Hindu temples in India. Some temples don’t even have oil for their lamps and one time pooja.”
The TN government raises over 3000cr per annum from Hindu temples by way of Hundi collections, offerings, various Darshan tickets, special event fees, etc. Out of this, only 4-6 crores are given for maintenance and the balance of Rs. 2995 cr remains with the government. It is from this amount the government pays the salary of temple staff and meets the expenses of running it’s educational and medical institutions.
“Government is funding their Mecca, Jerusalem trips, but not for Hindus to visit Tirupati, Kasi etc. Why should the government be promoting alien religions at the cost of Hindu money”, ask Hindu activists.
Source : Organiser
