Temples instructed to live stream Hundial opening process, T.N. HR&CE Commissioner tells Madras High Court

HR&CE Dept. issues circular to 48 temples to live stream Hundial opening process; PIL seeks appointment of district-level committees to monitor process. HR&CE Commissioner informs Madras HC of having issued circular to 48 Sr. Grade temples to live stream Hundial opening process on YouTube. PIL seeks district-level committees to monitor process; HC upholds Fit Person functioning as trustee. Details of cash & articles found in Hundials recorded in Hundial Assortment Register. Local residents welcome to participate in process.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department Commissioner on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court of having issued a circular instructing 48 Senior Grade temples in Tamil Nadu to live stream their Hundial (donation box) opening process, on their respective YouTube channels.

In a counter affidavit filed before Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy, the HR&CE Commissioner K.V. Muralidharan said the Hundial of all other temples were being opened strictly in accordance with the Installation, Safeguarding and Accounting of Hundial Rules, 1975.

The counter was filed in response to four public interest litigation (PIL) petitions filed by temple activist Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam, complaining about frequent reports of the theft of cash and valuables such as gold and silver ornaments, donated by devotees, from temple Hundials.

The litigant insisted on appointing district-level committees comprising of retired judges; former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and other individuals of impeccable integrity to monitor the opening of Hundials in temples that did not have trustees.

Mr. Narasimhan also sought a direction to the HR&CE Commissioner to not open Hundials in the absence of trustees; to ensure registration of criminal cases regarding complaints of theft from temple Hundials and to ensure participation of local residents during the Hundial opening process under CCTV coverage.

Special Government Pleader (HR&CE) N.R.R. Arun Natarajan submitted a common counter affidavit to all four cases, which stated that a Fit Person, appointed under the provisions of the HR&CE Act, performs the functions of trustees in temples where the trustees were absent due to various reasons.

It recalled that the High Court had, in a judgement delivered on January 11, 2022, upheld the functioning of Fit Persons in the place of temple trustees. “It is clear that Fit Person is also a trustee,” the High Court had said and therefore, Hundials could be opened in the presence of Fit Person too, the counter added.