HR&CE executive rightfully dismissed from service for failing to protect temple land: Madras High Court
Representative image | Photo credit: Getty Images
The Madras High Court has upheld the Government Order (GO) issued to dismiss the Executive Director (EO) of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department for allowing the transfer of 20.94 acres of temple land worth several crore rupees in the names of private individuals.
Justice Krishnaswamy Govindarajan dismissed the plea filed by the former EO, who also served as an eligible person at the Madhipaleeswaran Amman Temple at Vadavalli in Coimbatore district and failed to prevent the transfer of patta (income certificate related to land ownership) in respect of the valuable land.
The judge did not stop at dismissing the case related to petitioner S. Ramakrishnan’s service, he also invoked the parens patriae (under which the idol is treated in a similar position to a minor child and the court takes responsibility to protect his interests) jurisdiction of the High Court.
Wanting to know if the state government had taken any steps to return the temple land since the transfer took place in 2012, the judge directed the HR&CE commissioner to report on the action taken by October 28, 2026 and directed the Supreme Court registry to list the case on October 30.
Justice Govindarajan pointed out that the petitioner, a law degree holder, had enrolled as an advocate in 1993 before being appointed EO-Grade II in 2000 based on a selection process conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) in 1999. He was promoted as EO-Grade II in January.
Transfer of 20.94 acres of land to Madhipaleeswaran Amman Temple
On 15 November 2012, a charge sheet was issued to the petitioner accusing him of not raising any objection in the inquiry conducted by the Settlement Assistant in June 2012 for the transfer of patta in respect of 20.94 acres of Madhipaleeswaran Amman Temple land in the name of four private individuals.
He was also accused of not submitting any report to the Assistant Commissioner of HR&CE regarding the inquiry he attended and not making an entry in his tour diary. Another allegation against him was that he did not even take steps to prefer an appeal against the order of the Settlement Assistant.
On April 8, 2014, the investigator found the petitioner guilty of all counts and recommended his dismissal. Accordingly, the HR&CE Commissioner passed the dismissal order and it was upheld by the State Government in 2017, dismissing the petitioners’ statutory appeal.
Dismissing the case pending since 2017, the judge agreed with Special Government Pleader (HR&CE) R. Bharanidharan that the TNPSC’s recommendation to impose a lesser sentence was not binding on the government, which could take a final call depending on the seriousness of the charges.
The judge said the government had issued a GO on March 30, 2017 confirming the punishment of dismissal from service only after considering the recommendations of the TNPSC. The procedural requirement regarding the recommendation as such was fully met by the Appellate Body, he added.
Published – 20 Oct 2026 13:04 IST