Mangalore: AP High Court upholds Rights of Kashi Math Sri Sudhindrateertha Swamiji
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Mar 26: The Andhra Pradesh High Court through a verdict delivered on Wednesday March 25, has upheld the earlier verdict of Tirupati district court regarding a dispute over the possession of idols and other assets belonging to Kashi Math. The lower court, delivering its verdict over a case filed by Sri Raghavendra Teertha, who was earlier the 'Patta Shishya' of Sri Sudhindra Teertha but was divested of the position, over the possession of idols, had ordered that all the idols, movable assets and other paraphernalia belonging to Kashi Math must be restored to Sri Sudhindra Teertha Swamiji with immediate effect.
Sri Raghavendra Teertha had approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court through an appeal, seeking a stay order against the operation of the said verdict. The High Court, besides rejecting the appeal, also asked the appellant to reimburse the suit costs to Sri Sudhindra Teertha Swamiji and upheld the verdict delivered by Tirupati court.
In a detailed judgment delivered by the High Court, High Court Judge Justice P S Narayan gave a point by point verification of the claims of the appellant and ordered that the verdict of the lower court be obeyed. It may be recalled, that Sri Raghavendra Teertha, who was anointed as the ‘Patta Shishya’, and next in succession to Sri Sudhindra Teertha Swamiji in the Kashi Math lineage, had in 1999 November, asked himself to be relieved from his tutelage. On July 19 2000, the Swamiji divested Sri Raghavendra Teertha of all the rights, obligations and responsibillities of the Math, and adopted Sri Samyameendra Theertha as his successor on June 2, 2000.
With the above judgment, the Gowda Sarawat Brahmin community is relieved that a protracted legal battle has come to an end in a way they had been hoping for.