The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has emphasised the need for the state government to exercise discretion when appointing fit persons or executive officers (EOs) to temples, cautioning against a mechanical approach. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has emphasised the need for the state government to exercise discretion when appointing fit persons or executive officers (EOs) to temples, cautioning against a mechanical approach. The decision comes in response to a petition filed by KR Karuppaiah, a representative of Alathipatti village in Sivagangai, challenging the appointment of an executive officer for an Ayyanar temple.Justice S Srimathy, who presided over the case, set aside the appointment and raised concerns about the manner in which such appointments are made. According to the petitioner, the fit person in question was appointed in 2018 but had not assumed the role, as he was already serving as the executive officer of another temple in Karaikudi. It was also noted that the temple in question was managed by 11 trustees, including villagers, and there were no disputes among them.
The High Court also stressed the importance of issuing notice to the existing temple management before making any new appointments and specifying the tenure of the fit person or executive officer in the appointment order.