Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act challenged in high court

CHANDIGARH: Chandi Mata Mandir through its priest Mahant Rajesh Giri and others have moved the Punjab and Haryana high court challenging the Haryana Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act, 1991, praying to quash the Act and the notification stating it to be illegal with ulterior motive and malafide intention to acquire any temple in Panchkula district under the garb of the Act.

The HC has sought reply from the principal secretary (local bodies), secretary (directorate of urban local bodies) and the Panchkula deputy commissioner.

It was argued that the amended Act was giving unlimited powers to the administration to take over any temple, math, or shrine within Panchkula district by issuing a simple notification and the same should be quashed. The petition stated that the petitioners belonged to Gosain family and the land measuring 18 bighas and 7 biswas situated in Chandimandir village was owned by Vidya Devi and Nirmala Devi, daughters of Surat Giri to the extent of ½ share each that they inherited after the death of their father. The ancestors of petitioners constructed the residential house upon the land and also a temple known as Chandimandir earlier upon the 2 biswas and with the passage of time and increase of devotees, the same was extended upon 2 bighas 3 biswas. It was mentioned that as per the available record, the temple was under the control and management of the petitioners' family members .

It was submitted in the petition that in 2010, the Government of Haryana came out with an Act namely the Haryana Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act, 1991, with a purpose "to provide for the better management, administration and governance of Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine and its endowments including the lands and buildings attached or appurtenant to the shrine."

It was submitted, "Certain officers and political leaders with their own vested interest and to generate benefits kept an eye on others similarly situated religious institutions and resultantly issued the notification dated January 4, 2018, notifying Shri Chandi Mata Temple to be a shrine under the purview of Section 2(h) of the Haryana Shri Mata Mansa Devi Act, 1991, and the Haryana Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act, 1991 as amended on July 8, 2010."

It was contested that the apprehension of the petitioners that the powers given by amended Act would be misused had come true through the notification dated January 4, 2018, through which Shri Chandi Mata Temple has been brought under the umbrella of the Haryana Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act, 1991, including the petitioners temple.

"The act and conduct of the State if totally illegal, arbitrary and the against the well established principles of law," it stated.