Telangana HC directs Ujjain Mahankali Temple EO to extend lease period of licensee

Justice N V Shravan Kumar observed that temples cannot function with a commercial outlook to augment income. If there is requirement to meet the expenditure of temple, the State has to substitute for the same, the judge commented.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court directed the Executive Officer, Ujjain Mahankali Temple, Secunderabad to extend the lease period of a licensee for rights over collection of sarees and coconuts near the temple by excluding the Covid pandemic period from the lease term. Justice N V Shravan Kumar observed that temples cannot function with a commercial outlook to augment income. If there is requirement to meet the expenditure of temple, the State has to substitute for the same, the judge commented.

---

N Naveen Kumar filed this writ plea challenging the action of Executive Officer of Ujjain Mahankali Temple in not following the guidelines of Commissioner of Endowments Department to extend the lease period for 292 days. The case of the petitioner was that the Executive Officer, without implementing the guidelines, issued a tender notification inviting sealed tenders for rights over collection of sarees and coconuts near the temple. On the other hand, the counsel for the Executive Officer contended that the lease of petitioner was extended for 90 days and that the license rights also changed hands twice through public auction for which the petitioner had not objected even once, which clearly showed that the petitioner had foregone/waived the opportunity for extension. However, the counsel for the petitioner told to Court that he could not avail the benefit of 90 day extension due to the 2nd lockdown and that the executive officer did not even accept any of the bid raised by others. The counsel further added that they are entitled for the benefit of a total of 191 day extension of lease period. Hearing the same, the judge observed that it is an accepted custom that the temples are run on the donations offered by the devotees and the action of the concerned authorities looking up ways and means for fetching more income on auctions would only suggest that the temples today are run as business centres and such action of the respondents is deprecated and disposed the matter.

———————————

A Two-Judge bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti on Monday issued notices to Animal Husbandry Dairy Development and Fisheries Department, Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TGPCB), The Commissioner Fisheries Department State of Telangana and others in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case pertaining to tonnes of dead fish, found floating in the Chitkul tank in Patancheru. The court took up the PIL suo moto based on an article published in an English daily under the headline “10 tonnes of dead fish found floating in Chitkul Tank, locals blame effluents”. The news article disclosed that much to the distress of locals and fishermen that nearly 10 tonnes of fish were found floating in the Chitkul tank in Patancheru on Wednesday evening suspected to be the result of discharge of industrial effluents in the water body. The fishermen raised concerns that more than 100 families in Chitkul Village depend on this tank for their livelihood. They also said that recently eight lakh fish fingerlings were released in the Chitkul tank for cultivation. If they do it again now it will need another 20 lakh fingerlings and the culture season will be over by the time these fish are ready. It also revealed that TGPCB has conducted a survey after the complaint and in the initial testing officials have found dissolved oxygen levels are extremely low. However, as the matters requires detailed investigation, the court directed notices to authorities and posted the matter to July 16 for response of the state.

——————-

The Telangana High Court on Monday issued notices to State, Transport Road and Building Department, Animal Husbandry Department, GHMC and others in a public interest litigation case pertaining to effective implementation of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2016. The division bench of Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti have taken up a writ petition as public interest litigation which sought directions to the concerned authorities for effective implementation of “Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals Rules 2016” published on 23.05.2017 by following the Articles 14 to 21, 48, 51(a)(g) of Indian Constitution to provide food for livestock on time to avoid death due to starvation, while transporting to slaughter houses. The bench adjourned the matter by four weeks for the response of the State.