Vellore, July 5, 2013: Members of the Sri Jalakanteswarar Dharma Sthabanam, the committee which administers the Sri Jalakanteswarar Temple, Vellore, and members of Federation of All Traders’ Associations of Vellore resisted the move of the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department officials to sell ‘archana’ tickets inside the temple here on Thursday. The move of the HR & CE official comes in the wake of the department taking over the administration of the temple on June 22 through a government order issued on June 18. The Assistant Commissioner (AC) of the HR & CE Department, Vellore, was asked to initiate proceedings for the takeover of the temple following the Madras High Court Division Bench order of May 2013 upholding its earlier order of 2012 justifying the government move to take over the temple administration in 2003.

The Commissioner of the HR & CE Department had in his proceedings dated December 21 asked the AC, HR & CE, Vellore to initiate measures for taking over the temple.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 5, 2013.