The law to acquire encroached land of Government temples in Andhra Pradesh passed

Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) – The State Government has passed a law to prevent encroachment on the temple land. Under this Act, if the Court process delays the decision on encroached land, the Charitable Trust can take the possession of the land by sending a notice to the encroachers (If they do not respond within a week). In the present judicial system, if there is an encroachment on the land of the temples, a complaint has to be made to the Charity Commissioner. Then the trespasser pleads his case. Many years pass in this process. Until then, the land remains in possession of the encroacher. Hence, the Government has passed a new law and given the authority to Charity Department for acquiring such encroached land. Now hundreds of acres of encroached land can be retrieved.

The State government has decided to take possession of the lands belonging to the Endowments Department from the encroachers by giving them a week’s time. | G.V.R. Subba Rao reportshttps://t.co/4Vj38RAB1b

— The Hindu – Vijayawada (@THAndhra) June 29, 2023

Editorial Viewpoints

• All States must make such a law.

• In fact, the Government used to take over the control of temples citing  ‘mismanagement’ of the temples. However, after the temples are taken over, the Government could not maintain the land of the temples and thus there are encroachment on it. Is this the ‘ideal management’ of the Government ? Therefore, a law should be passed that ‘the devotees must remain the custodians of the temples’.