HC halts Srisailam temple trust board oath-taking

ANANTAPUR: The objections over the appointment of Srisailam Temple trust board from a ruling party MLA as also a tribal leader and some legal hurdles halted the February 14 oath-taking ceremony for the newly appointed board amid a stay order from the high court on Friday.

Tribal leader Korra Sreenivasulu Naik filed a petition complaining that the 15-member trust board was constituted without the inclusion of a single tribal member. This, though the Srisailam Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and the Goddess Bramarambika temple have historic tribal links marked by devotion, she said.

It was only recently that the state government appointed the Srisailam Temple Trust Board with R Chakrapani Reddy as its chairman. The appointment of Chakrapani, a YSRC leader from Nagari assembly segment in Chittoor district has hurt MLA Roja, as he was her detractor. She opposed the appointment by saying Chakrapani was involved in anti-party activities and had defeated YSRC candidates in the recent local body elections.

The government issued GO-84 on the appointment of trust board on February 3. The members were scheduled to take oath on February 14 at the Srisailam Temple premises. The temple authorities had begun making necessary arrangements for the event.

Tribal leader Korra Sreenivasulu Naik approached the high court, citing non-inclusion of tribals in the temple trust board even as the tribals are traditionally and devotionally linked to the shrine for centuries. The petitioner found fault with process for selection of the committee members and brought to the notice of the court a stipulation that at least two Hindu spiritual persons should be in the board.

In view of the violation of guidelines and non-inclusion of tribals in the trust board, Sreenivasulu filed a petition against the trust board appointment. The high court, considering the plea of the petitioner, issued a temporary stay on the swearing in of the new members. The case was posted to Feb. 16 for hearing.