State government hands over Gokarna temple to mutt as per SC decree

Karwar: Adhering to the November 1 decree of the Supreme Court, the Karnataka government on Friday issued an order to hand over the administration of Mahabaleshwara temple at Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district, its ornaments, documents, and assets to Sri Ramachandrapura Mutt, Hosanagar.

An order issued on September 18 for appointing an overseeing committee to manage the temple administrative affairs was also withdrawn by the State government.

It may be recalled that the Karnataka High Court had, on August 10, quashed a 2008 state government order denotifying Gokarna Mahabaleshwara temple from the control of Department of Muzrai and attaching or handing it over its administration to Ramachandrapura Math. In its order, it had directed the state government to constitute an overseeing committee to manage the temple by taking over its administration. 

However, the mutt moved the Supreme Court against the HC order, and the apex court passed an interim order on September 7. The government, on an opinion given by the Advocate-General that the Supreme Court had not stayed the High Court order, on September 18 issued an order asking the overseeing committee to take over the administration of the temple from the mutt. Accordingly, a committee headed by the Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner did so.

Following this, the Ramachandrapura Mutt filed a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court, which on October 3 clarified its interim order. However, the government did not hand over the temple to the mutt but filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking clarifications. The mutt, on the other hand, alleged that the government was not adhering to the Supreme Court’s earlier interim orders.

Hearing the petitions filed by both parties, a three-judge bench of the apex court presided over by Justice Kurian Joseph directed the government to hand over the temple and other assets to the mutt by November 5.