Telangana HC Upholds Temple Status for Nampally Site, Dismisses Plea for 'Mutt' Recognition

Overview

• Justice K Sarath’s January 9 ruling dismissed the writ and affirmed prior orders classifying the Nampally institution as an age-old Hanuman temple under the Endowments Act.
• The judgment said the petitioner approached with unclean hands, noting discrepancies between filings across proceedings and the original record.
• Government submissions and records, including a 1936 Muntakab and a 1937 origin tied to Sri Rama Bhakta Samajam, described the place as a temple with the petitioner listed as Mutawalli rather than Mahant.
• The court recorded that the Assistant Commissioner’s 1995 recognition of a Mahant lacked authority once the institution stood notified as a temple, rendering such proceedings void.
• An earlier 2011 order had set aside a 2008 memo and sent the matter for reconsideration, while private respondents alleged misdescription of the institution’s name to facilitate a grab of temple property.