HON’BLE MR JUSTICE R. SURESH KUMAR AND THE HON’BLE MR.JUSTICE HEMANT CHANDANGOUDAR WA No. 3250 of 2025 AND CMP NO. 26740 OF 2025 V.Singaravelan S/o Viswanathan, No.10, Maiken Street, Tirunallar

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
DATED: 11-11-2025
CORAM
THE HON’BLE MR JUSTICE R. SURESH KUMAR
AND
THE HON’BLE MR.JUSTICE HEMANT CHANDANGOUDAR
WA No. 3250 of 2025 AND
CMP NO. 26740 OF 2025
V.Singaravelan
S/o Viswanathan, No.10, Maiken Street, Tirunallar
609607 Karaikkal District Puducherry State
..Appellant
Vs
1. The Kattalai Thambiran
Dharmapuram Adheenam Kattalai Mutt, Tirunallar, Karaikal District, Puducherry State 609 607.
2. Hereditary Sthanigars Society For
Sri Dharbaraneswar Swami Devasthanam, Sri
Saneswara Bhagwan Temple, Thirunallar,
(Parambarai Sthanigar Sangam)Rep By Is President,
S.P.S. Nathan Alias Amurtheeswaranathan, No.4,
Vellalar Street, Thirunallar-609 607 Karaikal
District, Puducherry State
3. The District Collector And Special Officer(temples)
Sri Dharbaraneswar Swami Devasthanam,
Tirunallar, Karaikal District, Puducherry State
4. The Executive Officer
Sri Dharbaraneswar Swami Devasthanam, Tirunallar
District, Puducherry State
..Respondents
Prayer : Writ Appeal under Clause XV of the Letters Patent to set aside the order dated 08-08-2025 passed in WMP.No.28649 of 2025 in WP.No.18511 of 2025.
For Appellant : Mr.M.Baskar for Mr.K.B.Vivekanandhan
For Respondents : Mr.Kandhan Duraisami – for R1 Mr.S.Ravee Kumar,
Government Pleader (Puducherry)
– for R3 and R4
Order
(Order of the Court was made by R.Suresh Kumar J.)
Heard Mr.M.Baskar, learned counsel for the appellant, Mr.S.Ravee Kumar, learned Government Pleader (Puducherry) for the Puducherry Government and Mr.Kandhan Duraisami, learned counsel for the first respondent.
2. We have heard the respective learned counsels. With regard to the arrangement that has been made pursuant to the clarificatory order dated 08.08.2025 made in W.M.P.28649 of 2025 passed by the Writ Court which is impugned herein, the first respondent / Kattalai Thambiran was declared to be the President of the Board by right. Other Board Members though can be appointed by the Government, by virtue of lack of power, because the relevant provision of the Act having been struck down by the Court, no other members of the Board so far have been nominated by the Government.
3. When that being the position, it is to be noted that the Kattalai Thambiran is 78 year old man and therefore, due to his advanced age he is not in a position to physically involve in overseeing and performing the poojas in the internal administration ie., cs; Jiw as ordained. Therefore, in order to take assistance, he got appointed two persons as assistants by the authorisation given by the Madaathipathi of Dharmapuram Adheenam.
4. This authorisation was given by the Madaathipathi for those two persons to assist the Kattalai Tambiran was the main concern of the present appellant, the State Government as well as the Executive Officer of the Temple. The respective learned counsels appearing for the parties would make submissions in one voice that, those two assistants in the name of assisting the Kattalai Thambiran, have been virtually involving in taking over of the entire internal administration of the temple without even having the consultation of the District Collector, who is the Ex-officio Special Officer appointed by virtue of the decree passed by the Civil Court and thereby there are lot of confusions, of course during the festival days as well as in everyday pooja affairs of the internal administration of the temple concerned.
5. Whether the Madaathipathi is empowered to authorise two persons as assistants to the Kattalai Thambiran or not can be decided at the final hearing of this appeal and also the role of the present appellant viz., Hereditary Sthanigar Society whether has got any right either in the internal administration or external administration or any other aspects of celebration of Poojas in the temple concerned also can be decided at the final hearing of the writ appeal.
6. Therefore, at this juncture to have the smooth functioning of the administration, especially in the internal administration of the temple concerned, we deem it appropriate to pass the following orders.
(a) Instead of two assistants who have been authorised by the Madaathipathi to assist the Kattalai Thambiran, we feel that one such assistant would be sufficient to assist the Thambiran because the internal administration is still with the Kattalai Thambiran, who, because of his advanced age, is physically not in
a position to involve in every such aspect of the administration during the Pooja and festival time, such an assistance, if at all required, that would be fulfilled by one such assistant. Therefore, amongst the two assistants who have been authorised by the Madaathipathi one can be continued at the wish and discretion of the Kattalai Thambiran and the remaining person can be divested from the job of assistant forthwith.
(b)This arrangement shall continue until further orders or till the final disposal of the writ appeal.
7. Post this writ appeal for final hearing in the second week of February
2026.
(R.S.K.,J.) (H.C.,J.)
11-11-2025 KST
To
1. The Kattalai Thambiran
Dharmapuram Adheenam Kattalai Mutt, Tirunallar, Karaikal District, Puducherry State 609 607.
2. Hereditary Sthanigars Society For Sri Dharbaraneswar Swami Devasthanam, Sri
Saneswara Bhagwan Temple, Thirunallar,
(Parambarai Sthanigar Sangam)Rep By Is President,
S.P.S. Nathan Alias Amurtheeswaranathan, No.4,
Vellalar Street, Thirunallar-609 607 Karaikal
District, Puducherry State
3. The District Collector And Special Officer(temples) Sri Dharbaraneswar Swami Devasthanam,
Tirunallar, Karaikal District, Puducherry State
4. The Executive Officer
Sri Dharbaraneswar Swami Devasthanam, Tirunallar
District, Puducherry State
R.SURESH KUMAR J.
AND HEMANT CHANDANGOUDAR J.
KST
WA No. 3250 of 2025
AND
CMP NO. 26740 OF 2025 11-11-2025