Temple activist TR Ramesh hailed the TVK government for fairly conceding that the properties would now be bought using Pazhani Temple funds and in the name of the Pazhani Temple, with only formal approval pending from the government.
Great news from Madurai Bench of Madras High Court !!!
I had challenged the Government Order No. 321 dated 26.12.2022 passed by the anti-Temple DMK Government authorizing the @tnhrcedept to Department to acquire 58.76 acres around Sri Dhandayuthapni Swamy Temple, in Pazhani -… pic.twitter.com/Y6LTQNPQKn
— trramesh (@trramesh) June 23, 2026
Taking to social media platform X, temple activist Ramesh said, “Great news from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court! I had challenged Government Order No. 321 dated 26.12.2022 passed by the anti-temple DMK government authorising the TN HR &CE department to acquire 58.76 acres around Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Pazhani in the name of the department, using the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Administration Fund contributed by temples across Tamil Nadu.”
He said, “Today (June 23), the matter came up for final hearing before Justices G.R. Swaminathan and R. Poornima. The government fairly conceded that the properties would now be bought using Pazhani Temple funds and in the name of the Pazhani Temple, and only formal approval is pending from the government.”
Ramesh said, “My counsel submitted that the Supreme Court of India had earlier allowed such purchase of adjoining lands in the name of the deity in the Banke Bihari Temple case. Their Lordships recorded the submissions of the government that the property would be in the name of Pazhani Devasthanam and further observed that the Administration Fund can be used only as provided under Sections 92 and 96 of the TN HR&CE Act, 1959.”
In another post, Ramesh said, “My interview in Tamil with @bseshadri on the shameless and illegal spending of temple funds by TN HR &CE dept during the last five years of DMK rule. The brazen lies told by PK Sekar Babu in the TN Assembly yesterday. The reply given to him by HRCE Minister Ramesh — is Sekar Babu happy to expose Religious Endowments Secretary @kgbias?”
My interview in Tamizh with @bseshadri on the shameless and illegal spending of temple funds by @tnhrcedept during the last 5 years of DMK rule.
The brazen lies told by @PKSekarbabu in TN Assembly yesterday. The reply given to him by HRCE Minister @RameshOffclis Sekarbabu…
— trramesh (@trramesh) June 23, 2026
On the issue of income due from tenants of temple properties, Ramesh accused the HR&CE Department of telling concocted stories to Minister Ramesh, the new minister for the department.
In a post on X, he said, “The department claims that only Rs. 250 crore is pending as uncollected dues from the commercial complexes belonging to the temples. In my opinion, only scoundrels would have the heart to lie so brazenly, and that too in matters concerning temples. How could respectable officers who have studied law and hold respectable positions have the heart to say such things?”
It seems that this fraudulent department @tnhrcedept is telling concocted stories to Minister Mr. @RameshOffcl the new Minister for the Department.
The Department claims that only Rs. 250 crores is pending as uncollected dues from the commercial complexes belonging to the… pic.twitter.com/nD3QZec7Rh— trramesh (@trramesh) June 22, 2026
Ramesh said, “First of all, there is no such thing as the HR&CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) Department’s property. Their headquarters is located on a large site in Nungambakkam, Chennai. Can the department officials show the original title deed for this place? How can they claim that commercial complexes belong to the HR&CE Department? Please correctly report to the Minister that the commercial complexes belong to the temples. There are about 30 crore square feet of plots belonging to temples, lands, and mutts. If a minimum monthly lease amount of Rs. 5 per square foot is collected, it would amount to Rs. 150 crore per month. This incompetent HR&CE Department should be collecting not less than Rs. 1,800 crore per annum from these sites. Yet, @tnhrcedept does not even collect Rs. 100 crore each year.”
Ramesh said, “A rough calculation works out that for 10 years, the arrears of rent are around Rs. 17,000 crore, and with interest they would cross Rs. 20,000 crore.”
