AIBN : Madras Excessive Courtroom guidelines Podhu Dikshidars maladministered Chidambaram Sabanayagar Temple; appoints Board of Administration

The Madras Excessive Courtroom on Friday (October 30, 2026) held that the Podhu Dikshidar (a hereditary neighborhood of clergymen) had maladministered the Chidambaram Sabanayagar Temple ever since its administration was handed over to them pursuant to orders handed by the Supreme Courtroom in 2014. The Excessive Courtroom appointed a Board of Administration (BoM) led by two retired judges to revive the temple’s glory.

A Division Bench of Justices G. Jayachandran and E. Manoharan ordered that the BoM shall be chaired and co-chaired by the Excessive Courtroom’s retired judges V. Bharathidasan and R. Suresh Kumar, respectively. Retired IAS officer C. Rajendran shall be its member, and the secretary of the Podhu Dikshidar’s affiliation and the Hindu Spiritual and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) division secretary shall be the ex-officio members.

The BoM, in session with the Tamil Nadu Heritage Fee, ought to undertake the removing of unauthorised and pointless constructions put up on the temple premises that trigger hindrance/harm to the traditional construction. It must also take steps to retrieve the temple properties underneath encroachment by availing itself of the help of the district administration, the Bench ordered.

Observing that the Podhu Dikshidars had not shared the true and full accounts of the revenue derived from the temple within the final 12 years, the Division Bench wrote: “Due to this fact, now we have no hesitation to file that the style by which the traditional construction of the temple has been broken and ill-maintained underneath the administration of the Podhu Dikshidars is disheartening.”

The Bench anticipated the BoM to take stock of properties, safe lacking valuables, get better the rental/lease arrears because of the temple, and procure knowledgeable recommendation for augmenting the revenue from temple properties, moreover sustaining correct books of accounts. The BoM was additionally directed to renovate the temple with out altering the traditional heritage buildings and conduct the consecration ceremony as per the non secular prescriptions.

Justices Jayachandran and Manoharan mentioned that indiscriminate constructions put up by the Podhu Dikshidars on the temple premises inflicting in depth harm to the heritage construction, defiance in rendering true and correct accounts, assortment of donations for Annadhanam and Annapavadi, conversion of temple premises “as a meals courtroom” for non-religious actions and failure to protect the temple properties imminently warrant judicial interference to rectify “the evil of maladministration.”

The Bench hoped the BoM would take cost forthwith and convey again the glory of the temple on the earliest. All authorities authorities involved had been directed to offer mandatory help to the BoM, and the chairman, co-chairman, in addition to the member, shall be entitled to a month-to-month remuneration of ₹2 lakh every, moreover being supplied with automobiles, drivers, and private safety officers within the rank of Inspector of Police.

The bills must be met from the funds of the HR&CE Division, and a sum of ₹10 lakh must be vested with the BoM for assembly contingency expenditure. The BoM, at its discretion, shall make use of any particular person to help it and pay them appropriately for his or her service, the Bench ordered, and mentioned that the Board shall guarantee truthful and equal alternative to all devotees to have darshan and recite hymns on the temple with out violating customary practices.

The orders had been handed on a batch of instances associated to the administration of the temple.