Tirupati Balaji Temple.
Big news related to Tirupati Balaji temple located in Andhra Pradesh has come to light. The newly formed Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) here has passed a resolution for non-Hindu employees working in the temple. Under this proposal, non-Hindu employees working in the temple board will have to choose between taking voluntary retirement (VRS) or getting transferred to other government departments of Andhra Pradesh. Let us tell you that Tirupati temple has been in the news for the last several months. Some time ago there was a lot of uproar over the news of adulteration in the sacred offerings of the temple.
TTD Act amended three times
Let us tell you that TTD is an independent government trust. It manages the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, the richest Hindu temple in the world. According to TOI, the TTD Act has been amended thrice in the recent past. Its purpose was to stipulate that only Hindus should be employed by the temple board and its affiliated institutions. In an order issued in 1989, it was also said that appointments to TTD-administered posts would be limited to Hindus. However, according to sources, non-Hindus have continued to work within the organisation. In June 2024, a new government was formed in Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu. This followed complaints of alleged Hindu employees identifying their colleagues from other religions.
What is the number of non-Hindu employees?
According to TOI, the new chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) BR Naidu has confirmed the decision. However, he has refused to reveal the exact number of non-Hindu employees working in the temple board. According to sources, the new decision of TTD will affect around 300 employees out of 7,000 permanent employees of the board. Let us tell you that 14,000 contract employees also work in TTD.
Is this decision constitutional?
This decision of TTD is based on Article 16(5) of the Constitution. This article gives institutions of religious nature the right to employ members of their religion. Rule 3 of the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Subordinate Service Rules also states that employees of religious institutions must profess Hinduism. In November 2023, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had also said that trust boards have the power to make service conditions mandatory.
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