SC will hear again on validity of Government control over temples in South Indian States

New Delhi – The Supreme Court of India has revived petitions challenging the constitutional validity of laws regulating the administration of Hindu temples and religious institutions in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court set aside its own earlier order issued in April 2025, in which the petitioners had been directed to approach the respective High Courts. The Court delivered this decision while hearing review petitions challenging that earlier order.

1. The main petitions, pending since 2012, challenge provisions of the ‘Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments’ laws enacted in Tamil Nadu (1959), Puducherry (1972), Andhra Pradesh (1987) and Telangana (then part of Andhra Pradesh) (1987).

2. In April 2025, the Supreme Court observed that the laws of each State might differ and that it would therefore be more appropriate for the High Courts to examine the laws within their respective jurisdictions. However, in the review petitions, the petitioners argued that:

a. All these laws are based on the same framework and originate from the old ‘Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments’ Act.

b. The matter has remained pending before the Supreme Court for 13 years. Sending it back again to the High Courts would amount to injustice to the petitioners and a waste of time.

c. Under Article 32, approaching the Supreme Court directly for the protection of fundamental rights is itself a fundamental right.

The Supreme Court will now deliver a final verdict on the validity of Government control over temples in these States.