Sri Murali Manohar Swamy temple in Kishan Bhag, Hyderabad, shows how the State Endowment Department has been operating for many years without facing consequences. The late Rajkumar Bharathlal, son of the temple’s founder family member, donated lands and assets to the temple in 1964, as published in the State official gazette.
The department only took action after the State Lokayukta issued notices in 2015, directing officials to survey the temple lands by July 27, 2015. A survey was conducted in June 2015 to comply with this directive. The urgency to protect the temple lands from encroachment was felt 51 years after the donations were made.
The department stated that lands near the temple were under encroachment according to their records. They requested permission from the Lokayukta to transfer the lands to the temple and take action against the encroachers. However, despite changes in the Endowment Act over the years, the department never initiated the process of transferring title to the temple.
Devotees allege that department officials have allowed encroachments to thrive due to pressure from successive governments.
