The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court judgment constituting a five-member Board of Management to take over the administration of the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple from the Podhu Dikshitars, the hereditary priestly group managing the temple.
A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi passed the interim order while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Madras High Court’s October 30 judgment. The Court issued notice, returnable within six weeks, and stayed the impugned judgment. It also directed the respondents to file their counter-affidavits within six weeks, with rejoinders, if any, to follow within two weeks thereafter. The matter has been listed on January 12, 2027.
The challenge arises from the Madras High Court’s decision to constitute the Board after finding serious lapses in the temple’s administration, including damage to its heritage structures, unauthorised constructions and failure to properly maintain accounts of temple properties and income. The High Court had observed that the temple premises had effectively been converted into a “food court” through non-religious and commercial activities.
The Board was to be chaired by retired Madras High Court judge Justice V. Bharathidasan, with retired Justice R. Suresh Kumar as Co-Chairman and retired IAS officer C. Rajendran as a member. The Secretary of the Podhu Dikshitars and the Secretary of the State’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department were to be ex-officio members.
The High Court had assigned the Board responsibilities including ensuring fair access for devotees to have darshan from the Kanagasabai, removing unauthorised constructions in consultation with the Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission, retrieving encroached temple properties and ensuring proper accounting of temple income. It had, however, preserved the Podhu Dikshitars’ exclusive authority over daily rituals and periodical festivals.
