Anjanadri temple row: Officials unlock offices, remove staff

Koppal: The dispute over control of the Anjanadri temple in Koppal district of Karnataka has escalated after district administration officials broke open locks on eight temple offices secured by chief priest Vidyadas Baba and initiated steps to take over the shrine’s administration.

The operation was carried out by a team led by the Assistant Commissioner, tahsildar, and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). Officials removed banners belonging to a trust installed by Baba, sent out staff appointed by him, and directed government personnel to manage the temple offices.

Vidyadas Baba strongly protested against the action, questioning the legal authority of the officials. He demanded that they produce a court order permitting the takeover and accused them of violating the law. The disagreement led to a heated exchange between Baba and the administration’s team.

The confrontation comes amid an ongoing dispute over the right to perform rituals and the administration of Anjanadri, which devotees believe is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.

The Karnataka High Court had earlier quashed a 2018 notified order and permitted Vidyadas Baba to perform puja at the temple. The ruling was delivered by a bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna, and the order reportedly reached the Koppal district administration on September 7.

Following the verdict, Baba visited the hill shrine with lawyers and devotees. He and his supporters contend that the court ruling supports the rights of the trust and that the government or district administration cannot claim control over Anjanadri.

The district administration, however, maintains that the High Court’s order only allows Baba to perform worship and provides him with one room, without granting him overall administrative control of the temple.

The conflicting interpretations of the court order have fuelled the latest confrontation. The action against the locked offices and the removal of Baba’s staff have brought the dispute over the temple’s management into sharper focus.

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