Shimla, Nov. 5 -- The Himachal Pradesh high court has quashed an order of the Kullu deputy commissioner (DC), appointing a hereditary manager (kardar) of the Devta Triyugi Narayan Temple in Kullu district without consulting the temple's traditional devotees.

Justice Sandeep Sharma, while disposing of a petition filed by Karam Chand, directed the Kullu administration to convene a meeting of the temple's traditional devotees, known as Hariyans, within four weeks to decide the appointment through consensus.

"Once a meeting is convened and the report is submitted by the tehsildar, the DC shall pass appropriate orders taking note of observations made in the instant judgment as well as Wajib-ul-Arz, wherein admittedly there is no provision th...