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16th February 2018

Chilkur
To

Shri Undavalli Arun Kumar Former Member of Parliament Lok Sabha

Shri Jaya Prakash Narayan, Retd. IAS and Founder Lok Satta Party

From

Dr. M.V Soundararajan


Convener Temples Protection Movement
Sri Chilkur Balaji Temple

Respected Sir

Subject: - धर्मो रक्षति रतक्षिः (Dharma will protect those who protect it)

I am happy on the formation of the Joint Fact-Finding Committee with eminent people and wish the
committee all the very best in ensuring welfare of the people by ensuring justice as per Dharma from the
centre. It is also heartening to note that this committee will function without any political agendas.

I would like to place the following facts before this eminent committee: -

1. It has been my belief all along as articulated in the representation to Justice Sri Krishna Committee
that unless we as a society ensure better administration of our temples and justice to the impoverished
archaka community there will not be any lasting peace and welfare for the society.

2. While Justice Sri Krishna heard our representation on Aug 4th 2010 and also quoted from scriptures
on the importance of following principles of Dharma in everyday life his committee did not include
the recommendations made by me in the report. By a divine coincidence on the very day that Justice
Sri Krishna Committee report was made public the report of a committee of which I was a member
was delivered to the Government of AP on 5th January 2011. This report if implemented in letter and
spirit would address the issues of better administration of Hindu Temples and the issue of better
remuneration and welfare of Archaka community.

3. The above report was filed in the Supreme Court by Telangana Archaka Samakhya through an
additional affidavit in WP 290 of 1998. Simultaneously lot of efforts were made to have the then
Government of AP to file additional affidavit in the case giving an assurance that the provisions of
the amendment Act 33 of 2007 and the recommendations of the Committee will be implemented in
letter and spirit. Unfortunately, though lot of effort were made the Government of the day did not file
any such commitment in the Supreme Court. On Dec 11th 2013 the petitioner Telangana Archaka
Samakhya had to withdraw the petition as the SC did not agree to monitor the implementation of the
amendment Act 33 of 2007 and the Committee recommendations and asked for an appropriate
remedy for this situation. Co-incidentally on the very same day the Hon’ble President who came from
an Archaka family signed on the AP Reorganization Bill and set in motion the events leading to
eventual bifurcation of the State and formation of State of Telangana. I tried to sensitise the
legislators to include discussion on the important item of temple administration and archaka welfare
during the assembly session to discuss the provisions of the AP Reorganization Bill. Unfortunately,
though all the above points were made none took interest at that time.

4. After the formation of State of AP when no efforts were made to implement the provisions of the
amendment Act 33 of 2007 I took the opportunity to intervene in an SLP petition which was tagged
along with Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s Hindu Temple Freedom petition in the Supreme Court.

5. On January 12th the State of Andhra Pradesh in violation of Art 14 read with Art 39A and principle
of Dharma got the intervener applications dismissed through a legal strategy. In my letter to the media
on the reasons why I decided to file a Review Petition I have explained based on our ancient slokas
on the ill effects that a State and the Judiciary faces when in a court of justice adharma wins over
dharma. On the advice of the Registry I also had to file an application for permission to file a review
petition on the January 12th order which I had done on the auspicious Maha Shivarathri day Feb 13th
2018. On this day I also issued a press note welcoming the formation of this Committee.

6. The details relating to all of the above: -


• A Set of documents with the covering letter to the media welcoming the formation of this
committee which includes details on my Review Petition is enclosed
• A set of Books that have been referred to above and also form part of the Petition is also enclosed
a. Representation to Justice Sri Krishna Committee titled ‘Temple System at Cross Roads’
b. Report of the Committee of Service Issues of Temple Employees in the form of a Book
c. Book titled ‘Government Rules Hindu Temples’
d. Book titled ‘Legislation for Temple Destruction’

7. Today is the first session of the Committee as per newspaper reports and today also coincidentally
happens to be the day when AP Archaka Samakhya has organized a ‘Archaka Átmavalokana
Sadassu’ on their demands for implementation of amendment Act 33 of 2007 and justice as per
Dharma. Both these two events were obviously not planned to happen on the same day but that it is
happening is I believe a way for the Almighty to show that they are not independent but linked.

In view of my physical disability due to age I am unable to come and meet the members of the committee
personally and explain the above points in person. I appeal to the Committee to not dismiss the above as
just a matter of my own personal belief but apply its mind on the data that is enclosed and provide suitable
recommendations to both the State Government and the Central Government.

This Country from times immemorial has believed in the concept of Dharma and also the principle धर्मो
रक्षति रतक्षिः (Dharma will protect those who protect it). I sincerely hope that this Committee will give
due importance to the above submissions in the interest of the welfare of the people which is its primary
objective.

Thanking You,

Yours Sincerely

(M.V. Soundararajan)
TEMPLES PROTECTION MOVEMENT
2-2-647/77/D, Srinivasa Nagar Colony, Hyd-13 Ph.: 27425640, 9885100614

13th Feb 2018

Respected Sir

Kindly cover the following Press Note in your esteemed daily.

Thanking You,
Yours Faithfully

Dr. M.V. Soundararajan


(Convenor Temples Protection Movement)

Press Note
Today on this auspicious Maha Shivaratri day I have filed an application for permission to file Review
Petition on the January 12th order arising out of the adharmic approach of the State of Andhra Pradesh in
the Supreme Court in violation of Art 14 read with Art 39A. Details of this petition is attached along
with my letter to the press on why this petition had to be filed. In my letter dated 22nd January 2018
explaining why the review petition is filed I had brought into focus the ill effects that a State and the
Judiciary has to undergo when Dharma is not protected.

In my representation to Justice Sri Krishna Committee while tracing the historical background of the
issues of Temple administration and the Archaka community due to the draconian provisions of the 30/87
AP Endowments Act, I recommended that unless the amendment Act 33 of 2007 is implemented in letter
and spirit there will be no peace and prosperity for the people. I also recommended that a strong Dharmika
Parishad with eminent devotees should be constituted and Government should transfer its powers to this
body so that temples are administered in a Dharmik manner.

That the State of Andhra Pradesh has not dealt with this important matter in the spirit of Dharma is in the
words of the former eminent Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh which is now reproduced in my petition
“(1) That the Archaka community in the State of Andhra Pradesh has been impoverished due to the
draconian Provisions of AP Endowments Act 1987 and the lack of initiative of the Executive machinery
of the Government in implementing the due orders of this Hon’ble Court and the amendments through
Act 33 of 2007 (2) That there has been no serious attempt to constitute the Andhra Pradesh Dharmika
Parishad with eminent devotees which was envisaged as a policy making body with due representation
to all stake holder devotees. (3) That the affairs of Hindu Temples should not be in the hands of the
Government machinery as this will eventually lead to the destruction of the temple system in our country
(4) That the continued Government mal-administration of Hindu Temples is actually causing a slow
decay of Hinduism in the rural areas and simultaneously enabling conversions and thereby giving
advantage to other denominations going against the Secular spirit of our Constitution as envisaged in
Article 27.”
The current Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister’s views on the subject has also been reproduced in
my petition “The petitioner states that recently the Minister for Endowments Pydikondala Manikyala
Rao has underlined the need to find out an alternative system with autonomous status for the maintenance
and supervision of temples. He also stated that there is a need to bring out the temples from government
control, that the autonomous bodies should be accountable towards devotees and that only the
autonomous bodies can prevent the encroachment of temple properties”

After January 12th order engineered by the adharmic approach of the State of Andhra Pradesh and the
events since impacting both the judiciary, the State of Andhra Pradesh, and the country in general due to
escalation once again in the functioning of the Parliament, the ill effects of the adharmic approach is once
again before us. It is already a matter of history as recorded in the Book ‘GOVERNMENT RULES
HINDU TEMPLES’ that the day Hon’ble President signed on the AP Reorganization Bill 11th Dec 2013
also coincided with the day Supreme Court asked for an ‘appropriate remedy’ for non-implementation
of the provisions of the Act 33 of 2007 due to lack of commitment from the State of Andhra Pradesh. In
my representation to Justice Sri Krishna Committee I brought to the focus the adharmic approach of the
State of Andhra Pradesh with a plea for a change in our mindset: -

It is really unfortunate that there is no change in the approach of the State of Andhra Pradesh and neither
is the amendment Act 33 of 2007 being implemented in letter and spirit nor is the State allowing the facts
to be placed before the Supreme Court and thus obstructing the course of Justice as per Dharma in
violation of Art 14 read with Art 39A.

I welcome the move to form the Joint Fact Finding Committee of Shri Jaya Prakash Narayan (who is
privy to my conversation with Shri N.T. Rama Rao in Aug 1995 and the regret he expressed in enacting
the 30/87 Act and the steps he wanted to take to rectify the mistake) and Shri Undavalli Arun Kumar
(who did a lot behind the scenes to get the amended Act 33 of 2007 passed). I request both the eminent
persons to not restrict themselves to only figures but also look at the above facts and provide their
guidance for the welfare of the State of Andhra Pradesh which is only possible if a dharmic approach is
adopted on the Archaka issues and the Temple administration in general.

I am enclosing all the material regarding the above including the details of my latest Review Petition
filed in the Supreme Court for the perusal of the Fact Finding Committee so they can provide suitable
guidance to the Andhra Pradesh Society and the Government of India at this crucial juncture.

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