A dispute over Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple land has escalated after Minister Ramesh alleged that a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) functionary occupied temple property and constructed a party office there, while releasing documents he said establish the land’s ownership. He also said a complaint had been filed with the relevant commissioner’s office and that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered.
Speaking to reporters in Srirangam, Ramesh said the temple had received extensive property donations for religious, charitable and welfare activities. He alleged that the disputed property was among land parcels historically recorded as belonging to the temple and questioned how the title could have been changed and registered in a private individual’s name.
According to the minister, a 1866 title document numbered 1027 records 329 acres as belonging to the Srirangam temple across multiple survey numbers. He said the ownership was subsequently confirmed by the Inam Commissioner in 1910 and reflected in the 1930 ‘A’ register, a revenue record used to identify land classification and ownership details.
Ramesh alleged that the survey number linked to the DMK office continues to appear in the ‘A’ register under the temple land classification. He also referred to a 1998 decision of the Inam Tribunal, which he said confirmed that the land covered by title document 1027 belonged to the temple.
The minister further said that, before the current DMK government came to office in 2020, the temple administration had written to the registration authorities stating that all land covered by document 1027 belonged to the temple and could not be sold or purchased without permission from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. The department administers religious institutions and their properties in Tamil Nadu.
Ramesh also cited a 2023 Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court decision, saying petitions filed by several claimants asserting ownership over land covered by document 1027 had been dismissed. The source report does not provide the case number, the full text of the judgment or the court’s detailed reasoning.
The minister alleged that survey number 762 was changed into the name of the DMK area secretary using fabricated documents. He said the claimant had reported the original title deed as missing in Puducherry and used the resulting police document in the registration process, while allegedly describing the land as privately owned rather than temple property. These claims have been attributed to the minister and have not been independently established in the material supplied for this report.
Ramesh questioned how a disputed property without an original title deed could have been registered without scrutiny by the revenue, police, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments and registration departments. He estimated the value of the land at around Rs 50 crore and said the investigation would determine whether officials or other influential individuals were involved.
The allegation has a direct administrative dimension because any finding of illegal transfer would raise questions about the preservation of institutional land records, the scrutiny applied during registration and the responsibilities of multiple government departments. The minister said the documents had been submitted with the complaint and that the FIR would establish the facts. No response from the DMK functionary, the party or the concerned government departments was included in the source report. The next steps will depend on the FIR investigation and examination of the land and registration records.
