In a significant development, the Madras High Court’s recent direction to SSN College of Engineering has stirred up a debate on the issue of temple land encroachments. The case pertains to the alleged encroachment of 9.74 acres of temple land by the college on its Kalavakkam campus. This move by the court has been welcomed by many activists and religious groups who have been fighting for the preservation of temple lands.
The court’s directive to the college to submit a sketch of the eight enclaves of temple land has raised hopes that justice will finally be done in the matter. The case has been pending since 2014 when the college had filed a writ petition against the eviction order issued by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. It is expected that the submission of the sketch by the college will provide more clarity on the extent of the encroachment and pave the way for a resolution to the long-standing issue.
Nine years ago, when a writ petition was filed, the institution received an interim stay. However, the case remained pending until it was recently transferred to the Special Division Bench, presided over by Justice Mahadevan, who handles cases related to the retrieval of temple properties that are under illegal occupation. During the hearing, the Special Government Pleader, N.R.R. Arun Natarajan, informed the Bench that the HR&CE Commissioner had declared the college management to be encroachers of the land belonging to the Thiruporur Kandaswamy Temple in 2013. As a result, the Commissioner ordered the immediate eviction of the college and for the land to be returned to the temple management.
Upon reviewing the papers, the judges were astounded by the college management’s evaluation of the massive 9.74-acre property at a meager ₹2.34 crore. The value of such a vast expanse of land seemed grossly underestimated, leaving the judges skeptical of the college’s intentions. Additionally, the judges questioned the legality of the temple counsel’s agreement to such an exchange without proper authority.
Providing a response to these queries, Mr. Sridevan explained that the valuation provided was from 2014, and the college management was now willing to offer land of even higher value to the temple in exchange. The temple administration could identify suitable land along the highway, and the college would be more than willing to provide it.
During the proceedings, the Senior Counsel highlighted that eight enclaves of the temple’s land were landlocked and may not be of any use to the temple. Furthermore, he mentioned that two of the enclaves were located close to the women’s hostel, posing a potential issue. The judges decided to examine the matter further after reviewing the relevant sketch.
In their decision, the judges instructed the High Court Registry to include this case alongside a similar writ petition filed by the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in 2022. The judges recognized the importance of addressing these issues thoroughly and justly, and thus, directed the two cases to be heard together.
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