Devotees and the National Hindu Temple Federation (NHTF) have urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and HR&CE Minister Ramesh to initiate steps to retrieve 415 grounds (1 Ground = 2,400 Sq Ft) of land belonging to Akilandeswari Sumetha Agatheeswarar Temple in Nungambakkam.
They allege that “more than 450 grounds (a term used to measure urban lands, mostly in Chennai and urban areas of TN) belonging to this temple have been illegally alienated gradually over the years by former trustees of the temple in collusion with some officials of the HR&CE department”.
One of the office bearers of the NHTF, R Amalraj, told the media that those who sold the temple lands were not hereditary trustees of the temple. Despite the same having been proved long ago, one particular family continues to sell parcels of land, claiming to be trustees of the temple, and people have obtained pattas from the Revenue Department for the temple property.
Another outfit functionary, from the Bharat Hindu Religious and Charitable Society, said an old vegetable market and a school had gone over the years as those properties were sold illegally. He said the temple is the kula devatha (ancestral family deity) for many families. Most of them moved to other cities for various reasons but come to the temple once a year to witness the annual festival. Those who occupy the temple properties did not pay rents, resulting in huge arrears running into crores. In some cases, there are no lease agreements to prove their tenancy.
The federation said, “during the last 50-60 years officials and some trustees hand in glove to alienate the temple properties”.
They referred to the Madras HC, which in July this year directed the HR&CE department to submit a report within six weeks regarding the actual extent of land held by the temple as per records; lands sold under Section 34 of the HR&CE Act; the extent of land sold under Section 9 of the Madras City Tenants’ Protection Act; the identity of the purchasers and the date of sale; the extent of land currently under encroachment and the actions taken for removal of such encroachments; and the extent of land in possession of the temple as on date. During a recent hearing, the HR&CE sought more time to submit a report.
People objected to the TVK party office at an Agatheeswarar temple pond in Jothi Nagar in Bharaniputhur of Ayyappanthangal.
Residents of the area alleged that renovation of the pond was started without removing encroachments. They had been urging the Kundrathur Taluk office to renovate the pond, which has been in a dilapidated condition for a long time.
Now, people are dumping garbage and letting sewage water into the tank. The thatched huts that had sprung up on the pond banks are now being made into concrete structures. The Federation of Consumer Organisations Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry had been asking the Revenue Department to remove the encroachments, including the TVK office.
It is important to note that a private car manufacturer in August 2025 had announced its intention to renovate the pond through its CSR fund of Rs. 97 lakhs. The resident associations are stressing that without removing the encroachments, no renovation works should be carried out.
Meanwhile, temple activist TR Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “this wholly illegal Government Order No. 85 and which is totally against the interest of Hindu Temples was brought by DMK regime just before Assembly elections were announced in Tamil Nadu early this year. Why is the CM, Govt continuing this illegal G.O.? Where is the power in TN HR&CE Act to reduce the rent for temple lands with effect from the year 2016? Why is HR and CE Minister Ramesh keeping quiet and not cancelling the G.O.? He doesn’t need the misfits in HR and CE dept. to explain the consequence of implementation of this G.O. A plain reading will do. The IAS officer who issued the G.O., I am sure, knew the illegal nature of such a G.O. Thats why I am saying keep the IAS fellows in Tamil Nadu far from Temple administration matters. They are stooges of politicians in Hindu temple matters.”
This wholly illegal Government Order No. 85 and which is totally against the interest of Hindu Temples was brought by DMK regime just before Assembly elections were announced in Tamil Nadu early this year.
Why is the @TVKVijayHQ Govt continuing this illegal G.O. ? Where is… pic.twitter.com/rFqed0y1Gr
— trramesh (@trramesh) September 14, 2026
A couple of days ago, tenants of temple properties urged CM Vijay to intervene and implement the GO fixing rents, issued by the earlier DMK government for residential properties. They said nearly 20 lakh families would be directly benefitted by this GO 85 issued on February 17, 2026.
Tamil Nadu Koil Saarndha/Saaradha Manaiyil Kudiyuruppor Sanga Kootamaippu president VA Balasubramaniam told the media that the GO was issued after detailed deliberations. The present TVK government should go into the pros and cons of it before taking a call. Another functionary said the temple should undertake an exercise to identify sub-let and sub-sold properties and bring them into the rental fold.
