Madurai, Oct 30:
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Sthalattars of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam to initiate the process of selecting a successor to the head of the Sri Ranganarayana Jeeyar Mutt, making it clear that the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has no authority to appoint or approve the pontiff.
A Division Bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and P Murugan passed the order after the State government assured the court that the selection process would be completed within six months.
The court directed the Joint Commissioner of the HR&CE Department in Tiruchy to call upon the Sthalattars to convene a meeting at the earliest and invite eligible and suitable persons to occupy the Peetham.
The judges observed that the selection of a pontiff was a purely religious function governed by the mutt’s established customs and traditions and could not be treated as a secular administrative exercise. The department could neither claim the right to appoint a pontiff nor insist on approving the appointment.
The Bench expressed concern over the circumstances in which the 50th Jeeyar, who headed the mutt from 1989 to 2018, had been appointed by the department’s Deputy Commissioner. The judges said such an appointment was not permissible, given the religious character of the office.
The position has remained vacant since the 50th Jeeyar died in 2018 without nominating a successor. The prolonged vacancy has affected the functioning of the institution and the services expected by devotees, according to the petition.
The court noted that the HR&CE Department had invited applications in 2021 but had failed to take concrete steps to complete the process. The selection is to be made by the Sthalattars in accordance with the mutt’s customs, either unanimously or by majority.
The Bench warned that it would intervene if the Sthalattars failed to discharge their responsibility. It said it could exercise its parens patriae jurisdiction and seek the assistance of a related religious institution or eminent Vaishnavite saints to resolve the issue.
The order came on a petition filed by S Veeraraghavan of Srirangam, who sought the appointment of a successor to the head of the Sri Ranganarayana Jeeyar Mutt so that the religious and other services associated with the institution could continue without disruption.
The ruling underlines the distinction between the State’s administrative oversight of temple institutions and the religious process governing the selection of a pontiff. The court has given the authorities six months to complete the process.