Rs 100 Crore Palani Temple land registered in private names, probe demanded
CHENNAI: Temple land measuring 1.4 acres and valued at nearly Rs 100 crore, located at the foothills of the Palani Murugan Temple, has allegedly been illegally registered in the names of two private individuals for a sale consideration of just Rs 2 crore, triggering outrage among devotees and demands for the immediate cancellation of the registration and action against the officials responsible.
According to reports, the land is being used as a free parking bay for devotees. To the utter shock of everyone, including devotees, the same land has now been registered in the names of two private persons on July 6, 2026.
Officials say, “The 1-acre-40-cent land was originally gifted in 1888 by one Kuppusamy Maniyakkar of Balasamuthiram to the Dhandapani Swamy Temple. The endowment was made through a dharma sasanam (charitable deed) for the specific purpose of constructing a monastery (madam/mutt) to propagate Hindu religious principles. The deed explicitly states that the land cannot be sold or alienated under any circumstances, as it is a public trust property.”
Now, it has come to light that when the Sub-Registrar of Palani was transferred to another place, the additional officer who was in charge of his duties registered this land in the names of two individuals on July 6.
On coming to know of this illegal transaction, devotees wanted the same to be cancelled, as it is against the orders of the Madras High Court. They say, “The Palani temple administration took possession of the land in September 2025 to safeguard it and has since maintained it as a free parking area for pilgrims. The temple’s legal status as the rightful administrator of this property has been upheld by multiple courts, including the Principal Subordinate Court of Palani, the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court. These courts have confirmed that the land is a public trust asset and cannot be claimed by private individuals.”
The Sub-Registrar, who was holding additional charge, has illegally registered the deed in violation of the orders of the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, and without verifying and ascertaining the status of the temple land and the written documents filed by the Mutt authorities. Devotees want action to be taken against the Sub-Registrar.
Palani temple’s Executive Officer, Marimuthu, has filed an appeal before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, challenging the illegal registration. He has also submitted a detailed report, with supporting documents, to the Inspector General of Registration in Chennai, demanding the immediate cancellation of the fraudulent deed and stringent disciplinary action against the erring official responsible for the registration.
A couple of days ago, the HR&CE Department directed officials to initiate the removal of registration restrictions on 3,084.95 acres of land associated with four temples in Karur district, after the Karur District Collector recommended that the properties be de-notified from the State’s “Prohibitory Module”. BJP, VHP, Hindu Munnani, Hindu Tamilar Katchi, Indu Makkal Katchi and temple activist T.R. Ramesh condemned the Vijay government’s decision.
TN BJP senior spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi, in a post on X, said, “I strongly condemn the order issued by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department on July 9, 2026 (Letter C.No. 2920545/2026/M2), directing the removal of 471 survey numbers — totalling approximately 3,084.95 acres of land belonging to four major temples (including Kalyana Pasupatheeswarar Temple in Karur, Balasubramaniya Swamy Temple in Pugalimalai, Raveeswarar Swamy Temple, and Vikrutheeswarar Temple) — from the Prohibitory Module.”
He wanted the “immediate withdrawal or stay of the July 9 order; full transparency on the selection of these 471 survey numbers and the basis for the Collector’s recommendation; referral of all disputed parcels to civil courts for expeditious title adjudication, with the Prohibitory Module maintained as a safeguard until final resolution; and assurance from the government that no temple lands will be alienated or allowed to slip away through such measures”.
The BJP leader said, “Temple properties belong to the deities and the devotee community — they are not administrative assets to be traded or compromised for short-term convenience or electoral considerations.”
