Tamil Nadu has registered an FIR over the alleged illegal transfer of Sri Ranganathaswamy temple land. The probe will scrutinise old land records, registration lapses and possible official collusion.
Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister S Ramesh on Saturday said a formal police investigation has begun into the alleged fraudulent transfer of property belonging to the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. He said an FIR has been registered and a multi-departmental inquiry launched to examine the illegal title transfer and identify any senior officials or influential people linked to the case.
Addressing reporters, Ramesh said a local DMK functionary had allegedly transferred the temple property’s title illegally and was now using the land as his party office. He said strict legal action would follow.
To support the claim that the land belongs to the Srirangam temple, the minister presented archival records. “The 1866 Title Deed and the Original land grant records confirmed temple ownership. The 1910 Inam Commissioner Report, land survey entries marking the plot under temple jurisdiction and the 1930 ‘A’ Register categorise the land as religious property,” Ramesh said.
He also said that in 2020, the Srirangam temple administration had sent a written request to the Registration Department, asking officials not to allow any sale, transfer or encumbrance of the plot. Despite this, he alleged, the title was changed after the accused created a fake certificate from a police station in Puducherry claiming that the original deed was missing. Using this fabricated document, the person bypassed normal registration procedures and transferred the property into private hands, he said.
“This level of systematic land grabbing could not have taken place without the active collusion or tacit backing of influential individuals and high-ranking officials,” Ramesh said. “It is a clear case of scientific corruption. The investigation is actively examining foundational land documents alongside registration logs to trace the procedural lapse,” he added.
