# Supreme Court Stays Order On Board, Not Community Of Priests

> Supreme Court halts Tamil Nadu temple administration transfer to board, preserving priest community's role.
- Title: Supreme Court Stays Order On Board, Not Community Of Priests
- Summary: Supreme Court halts Tamil Nadu temple administration transfer to board, preserving priest community's role. Supreme Court stays Madras High Court order that…
- Keywords: supreme court, tamil nadu, chidambaram, lord nataraja temple, podhu dikshitars, madras high court, temple administration, religious management, india, Ndtv
- Source: Ndtv — https://ndtv.com/india-news/lord-nataraja-temple-chidambaram-supreme-court-stays-order-on-board-not-community-of-priests-managing-tamil-nadu-temple-12283664
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- Topics: supreme court, tamil nadu, chidambaram, lord nataraja temple, podhu dikshitars, madras high court, temple administration, religious management, news, india
## Supreme Court Stays Order
The Supreme Court has stayed a Madras High Court order directing parts of Lord Nataraja temple administration in Tamil Nadu's Chidambaram to be transferred from hereditary priests to a five-member board.
## Temple Management Dispute
Hereditary priests challenged the government's 2022 order allowing devotees to pray from the Kanakasabha platform, arguing it infringed their constitutional right to manage religious affairs.
## High Court Ruling
The Madras High Court upheld the government's order but noted modern construction damaged parts of the temple and required examination of temple accounts and property records.
## Board Composition
The court directed a five-member board with two retired high court judges, a retired IAS officer, the Podhu Dikshitars secretary, and the state's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department secretary.
## Priests' Legal Argument
Senior Advocate CS Vaidyanathan argued the high court went beyond the darshan dispute and stripped the Podhu Dikshitars of full temple administration rights.
## State Government Response
The government cited a Heritage Commission report documenting temple structural changes and expressed concerns about temple accounts, urging interim relief deferment.
## Supreme Court Decision
The bench stayed the Madras High Court order, ruling that the impugned judgment should be set aside pending further review.
## Key takeaway

Supreme Court stays Madras High Court order that would transfer Lord Nataraja temple management in Chidambaram from hereditary priests to a five-member board.