‘Recovery notice served to priest & writer Hiremagalur Kannan to be withdrawn’: Karnataka CM

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said he would direct officials to withdraw the recovery notice issued by a Tahsildar to priest and Kannada writer Hiremagalur Kannan.

Published on: Jan 24, 2024, 14:46:39 IST

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he would direct the concerned officials to withdraw the recovery notice issued by a Tahsildar to priest and Kannada writer Hiremagalur Kannan.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Friday. (ANI Photo) (Siddaramaiah -X)

The issuance of notice by asking the priest of Kodanda Ramaswamy temple at Hiremagalur in Chikkamagaluru district to return the excess amount of ₹4.74 lakh credited to his account between 2013 and 2022 had kicked up a row, with several BJP leaders slamming the government and demanding that it be withdrawn with immediate effect.

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"The Tahsildar is wrong in issuing a notice to Hiremagalur Kannan to refund the 'tasdik' (honorarium) money, not Kannan's fault. I will speak to the concerned to withdraw the notice. Kannan has been paid extra money by Tahsildar. We will collect arrears from them," Siddaramaiah said on 'X'.

After a controversy erupted over the issue, Transport and Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday stated that the notice served to the priest would be withdrawn. He had instructed the officers to hold an inquiry against the Chikkamagaluru Tahsildar and the officials responsible for the wrong payment and recover the excess amount from them.

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According to the notice issued to the priest on December 2, 2023, the state government released a total 'tasdik' of ₹3.36 lakh to the temple. But ₹8.1 lakh got credited to the priest’s account during this period following which the Tahsildar instructed the priest to refund the excess amount of ₹4.74 lakh to the temple’s account.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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