NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Monday raised a question on why government officials are managing religious places and temples in the country. The question was raised while the court was taking note of the fact that several devotees visiting the Jagannath temple in Puri were being harassed.
The observation was made by a bench of Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer while hearing a plea on the issues faced by devotees at Jagannath temple and their alleged harassment and exploitation by the staffs.
It is a matter of perspective. I do not know why government officials should manage temples? In Tamil Nadu, there is theft of idols. These idols, apart from the religious sentiments, are priceless,
Attorney General K K Venugopal told Supreme Court that Kerala’s Sabarimala temple was being run by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) while board appointed by governments were managing several other temples in the country.
“How far the government, in a secular state, can control or manage a temple,” Venugopal said.
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