Ahmedabad court rejects Bhadrakali Temple priest’s plea for larger income share

Ahmedabad: A city civil court has dismissed an application filed by a priest of the Bhadrakali Temple seeking an increase in his share of the temple’s income, which had been fixed at 20% by the government.

In April 2007, the then Assistant Charity Commissioner formulated a scheme for the Bhadrakali Mataji Mandir Trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act. According to the scheme, priests and their descendants serving the deity were entitled to 20% of the temple’s total income, while the remaining 80% was allocated for administrative purposes.

One of the priests, Divyakumar Avasthi, challenged the scheme, arguing that 20% of the income was insufficient to support his family. He requested the court to amend the scheme so that 80% of the temple’s income would go to priests performing rituals, and only 20% would be used for administration.

Avasthi passed away during the proceedings, but his legal heirs continued the case. The petitioners argued that the Assistant Charity Commissioner’s order violated the family’s traditional and hereditary worship rights, and also raised objections on procedural grounds.

Government authorities defended the existing scheme, stating that while the priests had not opposed the scheme itself, they had objected to the fixed remuneration. They added that the scheme included a provision allowing temple trustees to unanimously approve up to a 5% annual increase in priest salaries.

After reviewing the case, Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge H.G. Pandya dismissed the application, stating that the Joint Charity Commissioner had taken adequate steps to ensure the proper management of the trust. DeshGujarat

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