Mangaluru: The administrative board of the renowned Shri Mangaladevi Temple has filed a petition against the Karnataka High Court’s stay order related to the appointment of non-hereditary trustees. The temple is governed under Section 25(A) of the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Act, 2011, which allows only hereditary trustees to manage its administration.
The temple’s board clarified that, under the current law, there is no provision to appoint or continue non-hereditary trustees. The Karnataka High Court had earlier quashed Section 25(A), but the Supreme Court issued a stay on the High Court’s order in 2015. As a result, Section 25(A) has been in effect since 2015.
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In 2000, the government had appointed non-hereditary trustees for a five-year term at the Mangaladevi Temple. Their term was supposed to end in 2005, but due to pending litigation, the same committee continued in power. However, after the Supreme Court’s interim order came into force, the committee’s authority officially ended in 2015. Consequently, the government reissued the order to hand over the administration to hereditary trustees.
The current temple administration operates in accordance with the Supreme Court’s interim order, which does not allow non-hereditary trustees to continue. Despite this, the Karnataka High Court, in a case filed by Premalatha Kumar, issued a stay against the Religious Endowments Department’s decision to remove the non-hereditary trustees.
This situation has created confusion for the temple’s board, as complying with the High Court’s stay order would result in a violation of the Supreme Court’s directive. To resolve this conflict, the temple administration has filed a petition regarding the High Court’s order. The temple board has expressed concern over this legal dilemma in an official statement.