Madurai’s Central Crime Branch (CB-CID) has registered a case against 19 people, including a former tahsildar and a sub-registrar, over the alleged attempt to usurp 1.73 acres of land valued at about Rs 60 crore linked to the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
According to the complaint, the land belongs to a charitable endowment created for performing daily services and poojas at the temple. The endowment—registered through a will deed in 1930 at the Saidapet sub-registrar office in Chennai—had earmarked a bungalow and garden known as “Asodha Vilas” near the Sokkikulam Sairam School campus. The will’s stated intent was to lease the property and use the income for temple service, with no permission to sell, mortgage or transfer ownership.
Officials said earlier objections by the temple administration led to an inquiry in which a then VAO was suspended. An RDO later cancelled a patta issued to a private individual and ordered that patta be issued in the temple’s name. However, despite a court stay obtained by the temple against issuing patta to private persons, the temple’s name was allegedly removed and patta was again issued to 10 individuals on August 13, 2018.
The case further alleges that subsequent registrations were carried out, including a power document registered on April 16, 2021 at the Murappanadu sub-registrar office in Thoothukudi district, and a mortgage deed registered on July 19 the same year at the Vadamadurai sub-registrar office in Dindigul district. Based on these, the temple land was allegedly registered in the names of other individuals.
Temple authorities had complained in 2021, but action was not taken then, the report said. After a fresh complaint was received following instructions from Minister Ramesh, CB-CID registered the case, alleging conspiracy to grab endowment land by violating court orders and registration rules, and said steps are being taken to arrest those involved.
