D. Subbulakshmi, a member of Board of Trustees of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple has filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to permit the members of the Board of Trustees to participate and discharge statutory duties in the upcoming consecration ceremony of the temple.
The petitioner said she was currently functioning as a duly appointed Non-Hereditary Trustee of the temple pursuant to a G.O. issued in 2023. It was renewed as per a G.O. issued in 2025. The tenure is said to continue till January 2028. The Chairperson is Rukmini Palanivel Rajan.
The consecration is being conducted after a considerable interval of 17 years. It is of immense religious, historical and cultural significance. The preparations involve various administrative activities. Renovation and restoration works were undertaken in preparation for the forthcoming event, she said.
However, in several instances, matters appear to have been dealt with, without obtaining the views of the serving trustees and without placing them before the Board of Trustees, for consideration, wherever such consideration was required under the Act, Rules, applicable scheme or lawful administrative procedure, she said.
The Board had considered the format and contents of the invitation for the ceremony. However, the invitation subsequently circulated is said to have omitted the names of the serving trustees and substituted the relevant portion with the expression ‘Temple Administration’, she said.
In official invitations issued on behalf of the temple, the names of the trustees holding office at the relevant time have consistently been included as part of the official representation of the Temple Administration. The inclusion of the names of serving Trustees is therefore neither a new practice nor a personal claim, she said.
Justice C. Saravanan heard arguments of parties in the case, on Monday. The court will continue to hear arguments on Tuesday.
Published – August 31, 2026 11:21 pm IST
