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Temple land acquired illegally: Mandya admin starts probe into allegations
The matter came to light after the encroachers allegedly tried to sell the land by constructing a residential layout
The Mandya district administration has launched a probe into a police complaint alleging that the land belonging to a temple was illegally acquired. The development came to the fore after an activist filed a complaint with the Mandya deputy commissioner alleging that 14 acre land of Melkote Cheluvanarayana Swamy temple in Kesare village, in Pandavapura taluk, Mysore, was “illegally registered in the name of four private individuals”.
Mandya-based social activist Ravikumar had filed a complaint with Mandya deputy commissioner in connection with the incident.
According to the complainant, the Maharaja of Mysuru had donated 20 acres of land to Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple in Melukote town of the district.
In 2001, according to the complaint, “revenue department officials fabricated a document under the guise of allotting land to these individuals as per the Land Reforms Act, 1973”. The complainant has urged for “swift action to rectify the situation”, calling for the “immediate transfer of the land back to the temple’s ownership”. In response to the complaint, the Mandya district administration has started a “comprehensive examination of the records”, officials familiar with the matter said. The matter came to light after the encroachers allegedly tried to sell the land by constructing a residential layout.
Pandavapura sub-divisional magistrate B Shiva Murthy, following the instructions of the DC, also conducted an on-site inspection of the land in question.
“Based on the complaint that the DC received, a committee has been set up with Pandavapura, Mysuru tehsildars and temple executive as its members’’ the SDM said. He added, “The team conducted a spot inspection a week back and has submitted a detailed report to the deputy commissioner.The DC will soon initiate action into the matter”.
“According to prima facie investigation, the sanctioning of land in this case is illegal... the land tribunal of Mysuru taluk in 2001 had granted tenancy rights to people who are not tenants of the land. As the land is in the name of God, no one has given it to tenants,” the SDM said.
“The occupants of land illegally claimed that they are tenants and secured order in their favour,” he added.
In our report to the DC we have recommended to challenge the order of land tribunal in the high court “as occupants are non-entitled persons”, said the SDM, adding that an appeal into the matter “will be filed soon”.
According to the officials, since the land is in Kesare village in Mysuru taluk while the temple is in Melukote which is 30 km away, the Muzarai (religious and charitable endowments) department did not visit the 20 acres land.
