The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has held that non-filling up of the vacancy in the office of Jeeyar in the Sri Ranganarayana Jeeyar Math infringes on the fundamental rights of the disciples of the math.
A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and P. Murugan directed the Joint Commissioner of the HR and CE Department, Tiruchi to call upon the Sthalattars to convene a meeting at the earliest. The Sthalattars will request eligible and suitable persons to come forward to adorn the Peetham, the court said.
“We leave it to the wisdom of the Sthalattars to decide on the road map. We do not want to micro-manage. But we lay down an outer time limit of six months to conclude the process”, the court directed.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by S. Veeraraghavan of Srirangam, Tiruchi district. The petitioner was a devotee of Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. He was aggrieved by the non-filling up of the vacancy in the office of the Pontiff of Sri Ranganarayana Jeeyar math.
The court said “We take judicial notice of the fact that Sri Ranganarayana Jeeyar math has been a part of the administration of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The Jeeyar who is the head of the math, has been invested with certain functions and powers”.
The Jeeyar occupies the apex position in the scheme of things and has to be an ascetic. The Jeeyar discharges spiritual functions apart from carrying out administrative responsibilities and is envisaged as a neutral arbiter to ensure that Agamas are followed, the court said.
As per the customs and usage of the math, the successor must be chosen by the Sthalattars of the temple. The decision can be unanimous or by majority. The selection of a Pontiff is a purely religious function and can never be construed as a secular or administrative act, the court said.
The court said in the very nature of things, the HR and CE department cannot claim the right to appoint or even to approve the appointment. The selection has to be made by the Sthalattars and their choice has to be formally acknowledged by the department and nothing more.
Since there was no Jeeyar in Srirangam temple to perform the traditional and customary services, and steps have not been taken to fill up the vacancy, we are constrained to intervene, the court said.
Published – October 29, 2026 08:43 pm IST
