Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Sep 24: The state government, on Friday September 23, expressed its intention to take back control over Lord Mahabaleshwara temple at Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district, a famous centre of pilgrimage, in a decision which is sure to stoke controversy. The temple administration was entrusted to Sri Ramachandrapur Math during BJP tenure in the state in 2008.

The state made its intention clear during the hearing of petitions filed by Samsthana Mahabaleshwara Trust and a devotee of the temple, Balachandra Vighneshwara Dixit, against handing over this temple to Ramachandrapur Math, which came up before a division bench of the high court on Friday. Advocate for the government, placing arguments on behalf of the government, stated that the temple in questions belongs to the public but the then government, in 2008, had decided to hand over the temple to a private Math. "The Math has funds running into crores of rupees, all of which goes to the Math. Therefore, an order may be passed to give the administration of this temple back to the government," he requested.

Chief Justice of the high court, S K Mukherjee, in response, questioned state advocate general, M R Nayak, about the official stand of the government on this issue. Nayak said that after the temple was handed to the Math, the government and governor have received several complaints about the way things are handled there. He said the government contemplates to take back control of the temple if it is felt necessary, and all facts are being looked into at present. As more discussions need to be held before arriving at a final decision, he sought eight weeks time to make stand of the government clear.

The chief justice reminded him that the court had directed the government during earlier hearing to make its stand clear on this issue. He thereafter said that the government will be given six weeks time for the purpose. After directing Nayak to make the government's final decision known on the issue during the next hearing, he posted the case to November 11 for next hearing.

Reacting to the development, advocates for the Match questioned shift in the stand of the government, which had earlier been contending that this temple belongs to the Math. The official stand of the government was that it was wrongly mentioned in records that this temple belonged to the government, and therefore it was returned to Math when this wrong was corrected. They expressed surprise about this sudden shift, duly pointing out that the government does not get any revenue from this temple, and all the money is spent on temple itself, and that the Math had used its own funds for improving facilities at the temple. Some devotees also expressed suspicion of some conspiracy working behind the government's decision to drop former advocate general, B V Acharya, from representing government in the case and making Nayak to appear on behalf of the government.