A church-run school has occupied land belonging to the Devanathaswamy Temple in Thiruvanthipuram, Cuddalore, for over five years, despite repeated court orders to vacate. The St Joseph Matriculation Higher Secondary School, operating on this encroached temple land, has drawn the ire of the Madras High Court, which has now issued contempt notices to five IAS officers and two joint commissioners of the HR&CE Department.
The Court had earlier ruled in April 2024 that the school must be relocated and that alternate land should be identified so as not to inconvenience students. The State was granted an extension of six months to comply. Yet, as of June 2025, no action has been taken.
Those held accountable include:
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P. Amudha, Secretary, Department of Revenue and Disaster Management
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S Madhumathi, Secretary, Department of School and Education
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Dr B Chandramohan, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Culture, HR and CE
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PN Sridhar, Commissioner, HR&CE Department
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Sibi Adithia Senthilkumar, District Collector, Cuddalore
All have been summoned to appear before the court in person on July 10. The petitioner, S Vinoth Raghavendran, BJP’s State Secretary of the Spiritual and Temple Development Wing, has highlighted that the encroachment remains intact despite clear judicial instructions and multiple follow-ups.
The government’s excuse? That the proposal to find alternate land is still “under consideration” five years after the directive was first issued.
The situation reveals a deeper malaise. If the encroacher had been a Hindu organisation, bulldozers might have arrived before the ink dried on the order. But when it comes to churches or mosques, the system crawls—if it moves at all.
Christian Influence: Disproportionate and Untouchable
Christianity is a minority religion in India, but the influence of the Church on the state apparatus is staggering. In most cases, officials, police, and even courts hesitate to take decisive action. High Court orders get defied. Years pass. And yet, not a single eviction takes place.
Why does the Church command such deference?
Because it has unity. Whether it’s Catholics, Protestants, or Evangelicals, they unite when challenged by a Hindu cause. It doesn’t matter if they are wrong on facts or law. The priority is solidarity, not truth. That unity isn’t just domestic—foreign backing flows in through funding, lobbying, and global media narratives. If action is taken, it becomes “persecution” overnight in international outlets.
Officials fear bad press, foreign pressure, and loss of perks. Add to this the potential corruption at every level, and inaction becomes the default.
What Hindus Lack and Must Build (Temple)
The stark truth is this: Hindus don’t have institutional backing or unity. We expect the system to work on autopilot, but it doesn’t; it works only when forced to. The system obeys pressure, not principle.
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It’s time to stop playing passive. Every Hindu must understand that their inaction enables this erosion. We must support organisations that defend temples and dharmic rights. If you cannot participate actively, the least you can do is fund those who fight every day for what’s rightfully ours.
And we must pressure political parties, whichever they are. If they want our votes, they must earn them by protecting our heritage. No more blank cheques. No more silent suffering.
This case is not an exception. It’s a template of Hindu neglect. It will continue unless we, as a community, change the equation.