THE New Indian Express reported .. CHENNAI: The Madras High has directed the Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department to appear before it, for his alleged attempt to dodge the tenets of the UNESCO in restoring heritage temples. “We find prima facie that the stand of the department is subversive of our directions and seeks to prevent any meaningful role for the UNESCO,” the bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice M Sundar said on Wednesday. Originally, a suo motu PIL was initiated by the court based on media reports highlighting improper renovation works undertaken by the government resulting in damage to heritage structures. And the bench on November 30 directed the HR&CE to go slow on the matter of renovation till a proper path is laid down. Later, as many temples, including Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam in Tiruchy district, moved the court to permit them to carry out essential works in the temples, the bench constituted an expert committee to decide on the issue. When the matter came up on Wednesday, Commissioner M Veera Shanmugha Moni filed an affidavit pointing out that various committees to monitor such works are already in existence including an expert panel constituted by the government in 2013. Requesting the court to consider the already existing committees, the Commissioner sought the court to modify its order. Refusing to accept, the bench pointed out the correspondence between the department and the UNESCO and said the communication of the Commissioner seeks to raise a bogey of possible religious backlash.