To ascertain the ground situation both inside and outside the temple premises, the judges decided to conduct a personal inspection before the next hearing of the case on October 16. File
| Photo Credit: C. Venkatachalapathy
Two judges of the Madras High Court have decided to inspect the Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai following complaints regarding certain constructions either proposed/being carried out by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department both inside and outside the temple premises.Justices R. Suresh Kumar and S. Sounthar, presiding over a special Division Bench for hearing temple related cases, on Thursday said, they would be tentatively visiting the Arunachaleswarar Temple on October 5 though the actual date of inspection would be informed by the High Court Registry later.The judges took the decision during the hearing of a 2024 writ petition filed by temple activist T.R. Ramesh. He had challenged a Government Order issued in 2023 for using temple funds to construct a shopping complex or a row of shops outside the Rajagopuram (prime temple tower) of the Arunachaleswarar Temple.On August 28, 2025, Special Government Pleader (HR&CE) N.R.R. Arun Natarajan had told the Division Bench the department was having second thoughts over moving ahead with the proposal to construct the shopping complex/row or shops and that instead it was planning to create other facilities for the devotees.Subsequently, on September 11, 2025, the court was told the department had planned to construct a queue complex for the benefit of the devotees who throng the temple for a darshan of Lord Shiva. After recording his submission, the judges had directed him to submit a technical report by Thursday.However, when the case was heard on Thursday, Mr. Ramesh complained to the Division Bench that the HR&CE department had already begun construction inside the temple complex, even before the court could permit it to do so, and produced photographs to substantiate his charge.On a perusal of the photographs, the judge said, the pictures prima facie show certain constructions were being made close to the temple’s compound wall which was also a part of the heritage structure. They feared the constructions should not end up affecting the aesthetics of the temple.To ascertain the ground situation both inside and outside the temple premises, the judges decided to conduct a personal inspection before the next hearing of the case on October 16. They also ordered the ongoing constructions should be halted until further orders. Published - September 25, 2025 10:31 pm IST
