FIR against 19 for illegal registration of trust properties meant for Meenakshi Amman temple

Published 27 July 2026 · india

Illegal registration of properties belonging to a trust established to serve the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple and Alagarkoil has come to light, with the police

Illegal registration of properties belonging to a trust established to serve the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple and Alagarkoil has come to light, with the police registering a First Information Report (FIR) against 19 persons based on a complaint lodged by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. S. Ramesh, Minister for the HR&CE Department, on Monday (July 27, 2026) told The Hindu the properties measuring 1.79 acres had been fraudulently registered in 2021. He said their guideline value was between ₹20 crore and ₹30 crore, while their market value was estimated at around ₹60 crore. The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by K. Chelladurai, Executive Officer of the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. “We will retrieve the properties through legal means,” he said The Minister in 1930, the Pudukottai Rajakumarar Dakshinamurthy Durairaja Durairani Trust was established.

Its property on Alagarkoil Road in Madurai comprises a bungalow named Ashoka Vilas and an adjoining garden. Under the terms of the will, the property and the garden could be rented out, but there was no provision permitting them to be mortgaged or sold. Ramesh said Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption organisation, had brought to his notice the alleged sale of the trust’s properties, which had been endowed to support several religious services at the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. These include the daily offering of curd rice to Goddess Meenakshi and its distribution to eight devotees, the offering of sundal to Mukkurni Pillaiyar, the conduct of Sahasranama Archana during Navaratri, and the performance of archana at the Kallalagar Temple every Saturday. According to the complaint, the title to the trust’s property on Hakkeem Ajamalkhan Road in Ward 10 was removed and unilaterally transferred to nine individuals by the Tahsildar of Madurai North, who issued pattas in their names on June 24, 2016.

The Village Administrative Officer (VAO) was subsequently suspended, departmental action was initiated against the Tahsildar, and the matter was also referred to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC). An appeal was later filed before the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Madurai, who set aside the Tahsildar’s order and directed that the patta be restored in the name of the temple. Meanwhile, a petition was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on March 22, 2021, and the court granted an interim stay. The Minister said despite the HR&CE Department writing to the Sokkikulam Sub-Registrar and the Madurai District Registrar not to register any property belonging to the temple, attempts were made to transfer the property. An attempt to register the property at the Thirumayam Sub-Registrar’s Office was prevented after the temple authorities raised objections.