Members of the BJP staged a protest in Chennai on Monday, April 11, against the takeover of the Ayodhya Mandapam by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department of the Tamil Nadu government. The mandapam run by Sri Ram Samaj is located in West Mambalam and was scheduled to be taken over by HR&CE through an order issued in 2013. The Madras High Court had, earlier on March 31, dismissed a plea challenging an order of HR&CE that appointed a person to take over administration of the Mandapam.
BJP councillor Uma Anandan and other BJP cadres staged a protest in front of the mandapam and raised slogans like ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai.’ Uma Anandan said that what HR&CE was doing was illegal because the Ayodhya Mandapam cannot be taken over, as it was not a temple. Later, the police also arrested Kalidas, Karu Nagarajan, Senthil Kumar, Uma Anandan, Elangovan and a few others for “preventing public servants from performing their duty” and also abusing them, and they were later let out on bail, The Hindu reported.
The HR&CE took over the Ayodhya Mandapam in 2013, through an order issued on December 31, 2013. Following this, a “Fit Person” was appointed for managing the affairs of the mandapam. However, the petitioner - president of Sri Ram Samaj - claimed that it was not a temple. He had also stated that no idol was installed in the mandapam for worshipping but only portraits of Lord Ram, Sita and Hanuman were there and poojas were held. But HR&CE contended that it was a public temple and that there was a collection of offerings from the public through hundial.
Protest in front of the #AyodhyaMandapam against the #HRCE officials who came to take over the Mandapam as per the Madras high court order. BJP councillor Uma Anandan and other devotees gathered in front of the Mandapam and agitated. @aselvarajTOI pic.twitter.com/zyuLn6Kz4V
— Selvaraj Arunachalam (@selvarajtoi) April 11, 2022
The HR&CE department was created to streamline the administration of temples in the state, soon after the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1951 was promulgated.
However, the Ram Samaj has denied that the HC has passed any orders allowing the takeover. Ram Samaj had, in 2014, filed a plea to stop the temple's handover to the HR&CE department of the government. In its March 2022 order, the HC had dismissed the plea, stating that some questions that arise in this case cannot be decided through writ proceedings. "However, it is open to the petitioner to challenge the proceedings before the appropriate forum," the HC had said. The High Court had only dismissed the writ and said that the issue of whether the Ayodhya Mandapam was a temple had to be decided in a suit, the protestors claimed.
Meanwhile, the BJP has gone for an appeal to the High Court, which is expected to be heard today.