Hearing on Oct 9 on plea for audit of Kanchi Varadharajar temple funds

CHENNAI: The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court adjourned a petition to October 9, seeking to direct the Comptroller and Audit General of India to conduct an audit of financial management in Sri Devaraja Swamy (Varadharajar) Temple, Kancheepuram.

The petition was heard by the first division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavalu. The bench directed the state government to take appropriate steps to maintain the temple properly and also ordered the state and the Executive Officer (EO) of the temple to respond to the petition. The petitioner Rangarajan Narasimhan from Srirangam moved the MHC seeking to prevent the irregularities pertaining to the temple. There are no trustees or an employee of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) appointed, which is a direct violation of rules, thereby the Secretary of Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments and the commissioner of HR&CE are indirectly controlling the temple, the petition reads.

He further stated that the EO demands devotees from various parts of the world to pay an entry fee at selected times every day. The petitioner sought to direct the HR&CE and EO to submit a detailed report on the status of audits conducted in the temple, including the profit & loss account, balance sheet and fixed assets.

The HR&CE and EO should not interfere in the rituals and sought not to compel the devotees to pay for darshan.

He also stated that various heritage structures of the thousand-year-old temple are being destroyed due to poor maintenance. He submitted that condoms, beer bottles and garbage are removed from the holy tank of the temple where Sri Athi Varathar resides. Further, the EO has been protecting some anti-social activities inside the temple, he contended. The petitioner sought proper maintenance of the temple. of the temple.