Daijiworld Media Network – Dharwad (SP)

Dharwad, Mar 9: The local circuit bench of the state High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the previous trustees of Lord Mahabaleshwar Temple in Gokarna, Uttara Kannada district, against the state government’s action in appointing administrative officer for the temple and transferring the temple management to Ramachandrapur Mutt, Hosanagar, Shimoga district. With this, the government’s action in transferring the ownership of this temple, mention about which is found in ancient history and epics, stands vindicated.

The state government had, through an order dated August 12, 2008, appointed an administrative officer for the said temple. But, on the 16th of the same month, it withdrew this order. On August 18, a person named Balachandra Deekshit had staked his claim to the post of the administrative officer of the temple, on the basis of the fact that his father was the lifetime trustee of the temple.  After this was rejected, the trustees had approached the division bench of the High Court through an appeal.

Justice Subhash Adi, who headed the single judge bench, on Monday, rejected the hereditary claim on the post of the administrative officer of the temple, and dismissed the appeal. The earlier cases in the temple transfer issue had also been decided in favour of the government in the past.