The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department to submit details of persons allegedly encroaching on properties belonging to the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple.
The order came while hearing a public interest petition filed by Salem-based Radhakrishnan, who sought directions to safeguard the temple and its sub-temples’ assets, complete renovation works quickly and conduct the kumbabishekam.
On behalf of the temple, it was stated that the Meenakshi Amman Temple and its sub-temples own 1,233.98 acres of land spread across 12 districts including Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tiruchirappalli and Pudukkottai, besides 133 plots, 108 shops and properties such as the Madurai Ezhukadal commercial complex.
The temple side also informed the court that 8.37 acres at Sellur had been encroached upon; occupants in one acre had agreed to continue as tenants, while steps were being taken to evict others.
A bench comprising Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel also sought timelines for completing the restoration of the Veeravasantharayar Mandapam damaged in a fire and for relocating the prasadam cooking unit to set up a modern facility. The court directed HR&CE to file, on July 20, the names and addresses of encroachers, along with the purpose for which the properties are being occupied.
