Madras High Court to hear PIL on Karur Devadanam land issue
A public interest litigation has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging the HR&CE department's decision to lift a registration ban on over 3,000 acres of temple land in Karur. The petitioner argues that these lands are endowed to temples and should not be alienated by hereditary occupants.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing tensions regarding the management of religious endowments and the legal rights of temple properties versus historical occupants.
A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court alleging that the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department has given away 3,084.95 acres of temple lands to 3,390 individuals in Karur district by lifting the ban on registration of those properties.
The PIL plea has been listed for admission before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Monday (July 27, 2026). P. Bhaskar , a cable TV operator from Guduvancheri in Chengalpattu district, has filed the case through his counsel B. Jagannath.
According to the petitioner, Devadanam lands were properties bequeathed/endowed to Hindu temples by the erstwhile kings. However, temple servants had been allowed to be in occupation of those lands and cultivate them. Over the years, the hereditary occupants had been granted conditional ryotwari patta.
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