Denied revised salary for 17 years, temple priest moves HC

The Madras High Court today directed Tirunelveli district authorities in Chennai to look into the case of a temple priest who has not received revised salary fixed by the government for the past 17 years.
When the petition filed by Singavelan, appointed as 'othuvar' (priest who chant Tamil hymns) of Sri Ilanjikumarar Temple at Ilanji in Tirunelveli, came up for hearing, Justice K Ravichandrababu of the bench here directed the Tirunelveli Joint Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) Board to consider his representation and pass appropriate orders within six weeks based on merit and law.
The petitioner said he was appointed on a pay scale of 1350-30-2200 in 1990. This was revised to 2000-60-2300-75-3200 in 1997. But the same was not given effect in his case, though the EO recommended his case for fixation of new salary.

Meanwhile, in 2010 the government refixed the scale at Rs 3,300-Rs 9,900. He was also entitled for rent, special pay etc. But the same was not given in his case.
Till now, his salary had not been revised and the arrears would come to Rs 5 lakh. He said with his 1990 scale of pay, he was not able to maintain his family and his daughter was due to be married.
Several representations had been sent to the officials concerned since 1997, but no action had been taken, he said.
He sought a direction to the HR & CE Trust to grant at least an interim payment of Rs 2 lakh to enable the petitioner perform his daughter's wedding and direct the officials to fix the salary according to the government orders and pay him the entire arrears.