CPI(M) seeks revocation of temple land auction in Puducherry
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The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Puducherry government to revoke the auction of temple-owned agricultural land in Karayamputhur, alleging that it was conducted without prior approval from the Department of Hindu Religious Institutions.
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, CPI(M) Puducherry State secretary S. Ramachandran said that as many as 22 farmers from Karayamputhur had been cultivating agricultural land belonging to the Sri Subramaniya Swamy Devasthanam for the past 50 years under a lease.
Although the farmers had been paying the lease amount without arrears, the land was allegedly put up for auction on August 2, 2026, without prior notice and without the approval of the Department of Hindu Religious Institutions.
Mr. Ramachandran alleged that the lease amount had been increased from ₹70,000 to ₹90,000 “out of vindictiveness.” The temple administration has been collecting as a tax a portion of the government subsidy meant for farmers, he alleged. Further, the authorities have demanded the entire lease amount for the land at the beginning of the year, he added.
The CPI(M) has urged the government to cancel the lease-auction notification and initiate appropriate action against the officials concerned. The government should also enact a law protecting farmers on the lines of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Lands Record of Tendency Rights Act, 1969.
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