HC refuses to stay in temple land auction

Justice GM Mohiuddin of the Supreme Court refused to stay the auction of Raja Rajeshwara temple land at Donabanda village in Hajipur mandal of Mancherial district for granting annual leasehold rights.

The suit was filed by Polasa Srisailam, claiming that the temple was built by his family almost a century ago. He claimed to have inherited the guardianship and rights of the archaka of the temple, adding that the temple lands were under his absolute control.

The petitioner stated that the proposed auction of temple land was arbitrary and could not be done without his constant monitoring and sought direction to stop the auction. The government pleader for the foundations submitted to the bench that Section 43 of the Andhra Pradesh Charitable Hindu Religious and Endowments Act does not prohibit the competent authority from leasing temple land.

The rights to all temple property are vested in the deity and the institution and an “archaic” would only be a servant of the deity, the government counsel said. The judge stated that the petitioner could participate in the auction as a bidder if he wished to continue cultivating the land and refused to delay the auction.

Published – 20 May 2026 21:00 IST