SC to hear plea to modify scheme of management of Trimbakeshwar temple

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a petition seeking modification in the scheme of management of Board of Trustees of the historic Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Maharashtra and increase in the number of trustees from general public to six from four.

A vacation bench of Justices U U Lalit and Deepak Gupta said it would hear the plea on June 18. It was filed by Lalita Sandip Shinde, one of the trustees. The plea also sought to reserve two seats in the Board of Trustees for women.

Trimbakeshwar is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak in Nashik district of Maharashtra. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas'.

"Issue directions commanding Respondents No.1 (state of Maharashtra) and No.2 (Charity Commissioner) to modify the scheme of management of Board of Trustee of Respondent No.4 (Trimbakeshwar Sansthan Trust) inter alia increasing the number of trustee from general public from four to six with two seats reserve for females in the interest of justice," the plea said.

At present, the temple trust has four members from general public, two ex-officio members nominated by the District Judge and Chief Executive Officer of Municipal Corporation and three from Tungars, Purohits and Pujaris.

The petition claimed that the people from public are in minority in the trust and that the representative of the District Judge is unconnected with the public life.

The plea has sought to increase the number of general public representatives to six so that the "participation of general public would be in majority" in the administration of the trust.

"The petition prays inter alia for direction to increase persons appointed from public to six with two seats reserved for female and that in place of Civil Judge nominated by District Judge, the District Collector be made ex-officio trustee and President of trust to make it a proper representative body," the petition said.