HYDERABAD: In a setback to the AP Government, the Hyderabad high court on Tuesday suspended the order of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) regime nullifying all existing temple administration committees in the state.
Putting a full stop to the practice of changing temple committees each time there is a change in the political regime at the state level, the bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice Sanjay Kumar said that since these posts were filled up through a process of selection, they cannot be held as political posts.
Hence as a consequence, they should be allowed to complete their tenure irrespective of the change of political regimes at the state level, the bench said and struck down the order of the state in this regard.
The bench was dealing with scores of petitions filed by several chairmen and vice-chairmen of several temple trust boards who were ousted midway by the TDP regime which was trying to replace them with its own men.
The TDP sought to acquire power over the boards by bringing in an amendment to the existing endowments Act. Section 163 was added to the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions Act for this purpose and the HC bench struck down this section terming it as illegal and unconstitutional.
TOI | Dec 31, 2014
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