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Synopsis

On March 18, the Allahabad High Court expressed concern over the requirement for temples and trusts in Uttar Pradesh to seek legal intervention to receive their rightful dues from the revenue department. Court directed that the matter be presented to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for necessary action.

The bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal was dealing with a plea filed by Thakur Rangji Maharaj Virajman Mandir in Mathura which alleged that it had not been paid annuity by the State government. The temple claimed that it had not received an annuity from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2023, amounting to Rs. 3,52,080.

In pursuance of court's order, the Commissioner/Secretary, Board of Revenue filed a personal affidavit stating the details of various amounts released towards different temples of the State.

As per the affidavit, the total amount to be paid to temples at Mathura was Rs. 9,12,507 but only Rs. 2,23,199 had been paid and the balance amount of Rs. 6,89,308 remained to be paid to nine temples.

The single judge bench expressed surprise that the personal affidavit of the Commissioner/Secretary, Board of Revenue mentioned that the amount could not be released to the Thakur Rangji Maharaj Virajman Mandir along with eight other temples of Vrindavan due to paucity of funds.

It is not a question of payment for a single year, but the annuity has not been transferred to the temple in question for the last four years, the bench stressed. 

Court wrote down its pain that temples and trusts have to knock on the doors of the court for getting their dues released from the State Government and said that they should have automatically flowed from the Treasury of the State into the account of the temple.

It is an annual feature and the officer concerned should have made the necessary arrangement for releasing the annuity of the temple in question, the bench underscored.

Court added that given the modern age of technology, once the financial year begins the State should automatically transfer the amount into the account of the temple.

"Letter written by the District Magistrate, Mathura to the Special Secretary, Government of U.P. at Lucknow is an indicator to the effect that the official sitting at Lucknow do not care for the release of annuities to the trusts and temples," it asserted. 

Moreover, court noted that the personal affidavit of the Commissioner/Secretary, Board of Revenue showed that no effort had been made by the officer concerned for the last four years for getting the annuity transferred into the account of the Thakur Rangji Maharaj Virajman Mandir.

The temple authorities are running from pillar to post for getting their dues released from these government officials, which is strange, the court opined.

Therefore, court directed the Commissioner/Secretary, Board of Revenue, U.P. to remain present in the court on March 20, 2024, to explain as to why the annuity for the temple in question along with eight other temples of Vrindavan had been withheld for last four years.

Apart from that, the single judge bench ordered the Registrar (Compliance) to intimate the order through FAX within 24 hours to the Chief Secretary, Government of U.P. to be placed before the Chief Minister for necessary action.

The matter will be next heard on March 20, 2024 at 10:00 am. 

Case Title: Thakur Rangji Maharaj Virajman Mandir v. State Of UP And 3 Others