Treasury officials visit Chidambaram Natarajar Temple; General Diocese refuses to provide account details
Chidambaram temple Dikshithars will not give details of account to HRCE committee
A committee was set up on behalf of the Department of Hindu Religious Affairs to study the details of the administrative work of the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple. Following this, C Jyoti, Cuddalore Deputy Commissioner and Verification Officer, Department of Hindu Religious Affairs (HR&CE), directed the Chidambaram Temple General Diocese last month to keep all records of temple accounts, assets and audit reports ready and hand them over to the committee members who will be visiting the temple on June 7 and 8. Sent notice to Secretary.
Accordingly, the team went to the temple on Tuesday (June 7) morning to inspect the administrative work of the temple. However, the general Dixit community has refused to provide any information requested by the committee. So, the team members left in the evening announcing that they would be coming back to the temple on Wednesday (June 8) to get details about the administrative work of the temple.
Speaking to officials on behalf of the Dixit community, the lawyer said there was no jurisdiction on the part of the Hindu Temple Department or its officials to check the temple accounts on their own or to inspect at will the temple which is managed by the clergy.
Section 107 of the TN HR&CE Act, 1959 exempts the temple from the jurisdiction of the Treasury, in a detailed response to a June 7 notice issued by the Secretary of the General Diocese. It is further strengthened by the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, he said.
He added, “The General Diocesan community maintains all accounts and other records in accordance with the rules of the Temple Law. Our aim is to provide full cooperation to a properly constituted committee with jurisdiction over verification and audit. We, therefore, request that the notice of the Officer for Inspection and Records and Accounts be withdrawn in compliance with the order of the Hon’ble Chennai High Court and the Hon’ble Supreme Court. ” Said the Secretary.
However, the Supreme Court did not declare the temple a ‘clerical temple established and maintained for the benefit of the public Diocese’ and the Supreme Court order did not restrict the jurisdiction of the temple over the temple.
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“Chidambaram Arulmigu Natarajar Temple is a public temple established by the old kings. For its maintenance, several acres of property have been donated. The general nature of the temple has been announced in the judgments of the esteemed courts, ”said R. Krishnan, Commissioner, Hindu Charities. Kannan said in a notice sent to the secretary of the General Diocese.
He added, “The actions issued by the Department of Hindu Religious Affairs do not violate the orders issued by the Supreme Court or impede public Dikshits from the temple administration. The Arulmigu Natarajar Temple has been declared a public temple in various judgments and, therefore, the Commissioner of Hindu Religious Affairs is qualified to set up a committee to inquire into the affairs of the temple. Activities are provided in accordance with the rules of law. Therefore, there is no question of withdrawing the action taken by the Commissioner and the Government, ”said Commissioner Kannan.
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