HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has said it will first decide the maintainability of petitions filed in connection with the controversy over whether the presiding deity at the Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy Temple, Bhadrachalam, is Sri Ramachandra or “Rama Narayana”.
Justice Surepalli Nanda made the observation while hearing three writ petitions filed in 2022 challenging the change in the “gothram” and “pravaram” of the temple’s presiding deities. The court noted that, in view of earlier directions passed by a division bench on the same issue, the question of whether the petitions are maintainable must be examined first before proceeding further.
The court also observed that no further directions can be issued without examining the report of an expert committee that had been constituted earlier pursuant to orders of a single judge.
The Bench made it clear that the findings of the committee and the maintainability of the petitions would have to be considered before moving ahead in the matter.