MADURAI: Irked by HR and CE department’s lack of action against managing trustees and Thirupani Committee members of some temples in Tirunelveli, who allegedly swindled Rs 13.4 lakh from temple funds, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently sought a report from the HR and CE commissioner on how the department is going to prevent such exploitation of temple funds by trustees in the future.
Justice B Pugalendhi also wanted the commissioner to file a report on the action proposed to be taken against the officials who let the above persons go scot free, along with details of the duties and responsibilities of officials, as per government order dated February 17, 2010, for taking further action based on the audit report which revealed the above irregularity. The case was adjourned to June 2.
The directions were issued on a petition filed by a devotee, G Papanasam Chettiar, in 2014, seeking action against the trustees and committee members. According to the petitioner, an audit was conducted by the HR and CE department in 2008, which revealed that a sum of Rs 13,43,576 was swindled by the above people by not maintaining records for the expenditure incurred by them for conducting consecration ceremony for the temples: Sri Naduganda Vinayagar temple, Vazhaugantha Amman temple, Uchinimahali Amman temple and Sangili Poothathar temple in Tirunelveli. Since no action was taken against the people based on the audit report, he had approached the high court.
Justice Pugalendhi noted though the audit objection had been made as early as in 2008 and the petition was filed in 2014, the department had not taken any action.