India, Jan. 6 -- Stressing on protection of temple property, a Division Bench of the Madras High Court has ordered the restoration of 3.93 acres of land belonging to the Sri Annamalainathar Temple at Kadayanallur, declaring the auction and subsequent alienation of the land in the 1990s to be illegal and contrary to law.

The Bench comprising Justice Anita Sumanth and Justice N Senthilkumar held that the sale of temple land permitted by the Temple Administration Board in 1994 violated statutory safeguards under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959.

In a recently uploaded Judgment (Order dated December 15), the Bench slammed the Government for interfering in the temple affairs. "We agree with the private respondents that...