₹60 Crore Temple Trust Land Scam: FIR Filed Over Illegal Transfer, Mortgage of Meenakshi Temple Property

Madurai: A major land fraud case involving property worth nearly ₹60 crore linked to the Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple has come to light in Tamil Nadu. The City Central Crime Branch (CCB) has registered an FIR over the alleged illegal transfer, registration and mortgaging of 1.79 acres of temple trust land, with the investigation now gathering pace.

The complaint was filed by the temple’s Joint Commissioner and Executive Officer, Sellathurai, along with the anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam. According to the complaint, a will registered in 1930 declared that the Ashok Vilas bungalow and its adjoining garden on Alagar Kovil Road belonged to a charitable trust created for the service of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and Alagar Temple. While the property could be leased, the will explicitly barred its sale, mortgage or transfer of ownership.

The FIR alleges that on June 24, 2016, then Madurai North Tahsildar Anbazhagan illegally removed the temple’s ownership from official records and transferred the patta to nine individuals. After the irregularity surfaced, the Revenue Divisional Officer cancelled the order, restored the patta in the temple trust’s name and confirmed that the land belonged to the trust. The dispute later reached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which granted an interim stay.

Despite the court’s order, investigators allege that a General Power of Attorney was registered in April 2021 at the Murappanadu Sub-Registrar Office in Thoothukudi district. Based on that document, a mortgage deed was subsequently registered at the Vadamadurai Sub-Registrar Office in Dindigul district in July 2021.

The FIR claims that the accused conspired to illegally seize the temple trust’s land by manipulating patta records, registering fraudulent documents and creating mortgage transactions in violation of court directions and registration laws. Police have booked the accused under relevant provisions of the IPC, and a detailed investigation is currently underway.