The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, hearing a case on alleged encroachment of lands belonging to the Balasubramaniaswamy Temple at Vennamalai in Karur district, remarked that “the poor God has no right to vote, but powerful encroachers have a valuable vote.” The court cautioned that electoral considerations cannot override governance under the Constitution.
The petition was filed by Radhakrishnan of Chennai, who said about 500 acres of temple land in Kadapparai and Athur had been encroached upon. He pointed out that a Division Bench had earlier, on October 23, 2019, directed the administration to take steps to recover temple properties from encroachment, and sought contempt action against officials for alleged non-compliance.
The Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and P. Pugalendhi noted that multiple civil suits are pending over the temple lands, and interim stay orders exist only in 40 cases. Even where there were no interim orders, the court observed, officials had not proceeded against encroachers. It recorded that the total encroached extent was 507.88 acres and that only 93.64 acres had been recovered so far.
The court also referred to an attempted eviction drive in November 2025, stating that it could not be carried out due to protests and opposition. It noted the government’s submission that the alleged encroachers included 27 government officials, 49 businesspersons and 38 influential persons, and said their social and political standing could be a reason for administrative hesitation.
Disposing of the contempt proceedings with directions, the court ordered civil courts handling temple land cases to give them priority and dispose of them within six months. It also directed the HR&CE Department to file status reports every three months on recovered lands, ongoing actions and case status, asked the Karur Superintendent of Police to ensure adequate security for officials during eviction operations, and said the Registrar of Societies should inquire into the activities of organisations that protested against recovery efforts and identify any illegal actions.
