Tamil Nadu: Madras HC restores Rs 110 crore Mandir land after 31 years, declares TN HR&CE approved auction illegal

MADRAS: A historic and hard-hitting judgment delivered on December 15, 2025, and published on January 1, 2026, saw a Division Bench of the Madras High Court restore 3.93 acres of land to the Sri Annamalainathar Mandir, Kadayanallur (Tenkasi District), striking down a decades-old auction sanctioned by the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department as illegal, arbitrary, and beyond statutory authority.

The land, currently valued at approximately Rs 110 crore, had been wrongfully alienated in 1994, but after over three decades of litigation, administrative contradictions, and blatant disregard for statutory safeguards, the Court finally ruled in favor of the Mandir.

Fantastic news from Madras High Court –

A news deliberately not reported in news media.

An Hon’ble Division Bench of the Madras High Court RESTORED 3.93 acres of Temple Land (currently valued at about Rs.110.00 Crores) that was illegally allowed to be sold in the… pic.twitter.com/NvmG7vzpvP

— trramesh (@trramesh) January 4, 2026

Remarkably, despite the enormous public and religious significance of this judgment, no major media outlet has reported it, leaving one of the most important rulings on Mandir property protection in Tamil Nadu virtually unrecognised.

The land in question belonged to Sri Annamalainathar Mandir, an ancient Hindu Mandir in Kadayanallur, revered for generations by local devotees.

On August 19 1992, the Mandir trustees allegedly passed a resolution to sell the Mandir lands. This resolution was submitted to the Mandir Administration Board (TAB) under the HR&CE Department a move that, legally, they had no right to do.

Despite the statutory framework in the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Act, which strictly prohibits the sale of Mandir lands except under the rarest circumstances, the Board permitted an auction on July 21 1994, and the auction process was formally initiated on 23 August 1994.

According to law, Mandir lands can only be sold when it is absolutely necessary for the benefit of the Mandir, after:

• Approval by the HR&CE Commissioner,
• Public notice inviting objections from the Hindu public, and
• A formal enquiry to ascertain propriety.
• None of these safeguards were observed.

Recognising the irregularities, the then HR&CE Commissioner, Meikandadevan, IAS, cancelled the auction on 16 May 1997, explicitly declaring the sale illegal.

However, the State did not enforce the cancellation, and over the years, the land became occupied by over 90 individuals from a minority community, who constructed houses and a mosque on the disputed property.

This prolonged inaction and administrative indecision exposed a systemic failure in protecting public religious endowments, allowing a temporary illegal occupation to linger for decades.

The Mandir’s legal struggle spanned more than 30 years, involving multiple petitions, counter-petitions, and contradictory stands by the HR&CE Department. At different points, the department supported the sale, then opposed it reflecting an institutional ambivalence that severely compromised the Mandir’s interests.

The High Court, after scrutinising decades of administrative records, resolutions, and legal submissions, declared:

• The 1994 auction was illegal,
• The Mandir Administration Board acted beyond its statutory authority, and
• Mandir lands cannot be alienated without strict compliance with the law, regardless of occupation by third parties.

The Court ordered immediate restoration of the land to Annamalainathar Mandir, signaling that Mandir properties are not disposable assets and cannot be lost through bureaucratic lapses or administrative overreach.

Legal analysts and Mandir authorities have expressed shock at the near-total media blackout on a ruling with profound implications:

• The land’s value alone (Rs 110 crore) makes this a significant economic development.
• The ruling reinforces legal safeguards over thousands of Mandir properties across Tamil Nadu.
• It highlights systemic failures of the HR&CE Department, which is entrusted with the custodianship of religious endowments.

Despite these factors, not a single major newspaper or television channel has reported the judgment, raising serious questions about selective reporting of judicial decisions affecting religious and public property.

The victory is credited to the Managing Trustee of Annamalainathar Mandir, whose relentless pursuit of justice over decades ensured the case stayed alive. The case was argued by a team of high-profile senior advocates, including:

• Advocate Abhinav P. Sarathy,
• Sankaranarayanan, former Additional Solicitor General of India,
• Satish Parasaran, Senior Counsel, and
• S. Parthasarathi, Senior Counsel.

Their submissions stressed the non-negotiable duty of the State and Mandir administrators to safeguard religious endowments and exposed the procedural irregularities and administrative apathy that allowed the illegal auction to proceed.

This ruling is not just a local or isolated victory. It represents:

• A reassertion of legal protections for Mandir property,
• A rebuke of administrative overreach by the HR&CE Department, and
• A reminder to all State agencies that the law protecting religious endowments is non-negotiable, non-derogable, and enforceable even decades after violations.

The Madras High Court judgment now sets a precedent for swift judicial intervention, making it clear that illegal transfers cannot be legitimised by passage of time, bureaucratic inaction, or political expediency.

After 31 years of legal and administrative battles, Annamalainathar Mandir has reclaimed what is rightfully its own, restoring not only the land but also the faith of devotees that the law can protect sacred institutions against unlawful dispossession.

Credit : Organiser Weekly