This is a petition demanding that temples in India be freed from state control and allowed to self-govern like minority religious institutions. The British colonial government passed laws like the Religious Endowments Act (1863) and later the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act to regulate temple finances partly to reduce corruption among priests and trustees, and partly to exert administrative control.

After independence, several Indian states retained and expanded this framework. The same oversight does not apply to mosques (governed by Waqf Boards, which are more autonomous) or churches and minority institutions, which are protected under Articles 26–30 of the Constitution. Hindus don't enjoy the same right to manage their own religious institutions.

State governments have been accused of diverting temple funds to non-religious purposes like paying government salaries or building roads.

Government-appointed trustees are often political appointees with no religious or cultural connection to the temple. Many temples under government control have suffered from poor maintenance, loss of land, and deterioration of rituals. Some of the recent examples where political interference has caused damage to faith of over a billion Hindus.

1. Tirupati Laddu Ghee Adulteration Scandal (2019–2024) - The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages one of the world's wealthiest temples, is controlled by the Andhra Pradesh state government through a government-appointed board. The scandal came to light in September 2024 when AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous government of allowing adulterated ghee in TTD laddu production. The SIT probe revealed that approximately 68 lakh kilograms of adulterated ghee worth around ₹250 crore was supplied between 2019 and 2024, consumed by an estimated 11 crore pilgrims. The TTD chairman is directly appointed by the state government, creating conditions where procurement officials can be pressured or incentivised based on political connections rather than devotee interest.
2. Karnataka Temple Land Encroachment (2023) - A survey by the Karnataka Muzrai (endowments) department revealed that at least 625 acres of land belonging to temples under its control had been encroached upon, across a survey of over 5,700 temples — and the actual figure is likely far higher. Hindu Dvesha Temple lands, over decades under government trusteeship, have been quietly encroached upon with little accountability.
3. Chamundeshwari Temple Takeover, Karnataka (2024) - The Chamundeshwari Temple atop Mysuru's Chamundi Hills a 12th century Shakti Peetha was originally protected by a covenant between the Wodeyar royal family and the Union of India at the time of Mysore's merger, guaranteeing ownership of the temple and Chamundi Hills to the royal family. In February 2024, the Karnataka state government passed the Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority Act without legislative discussion, effectively vesting ownership of the temple and its properties with a government-controlled development authority.
4. Himachal Pradesh Temple Funds Diverted to State Welfare Schemes - Reports surfaced that temple funds in Himachal Pradesh were being diverted to finance the Mukhyamantri Sukh Ashray Yojana, a state welfare scheme under which 6,000 children were adopted as "children of the state" and taken on trips to three-star hotels in Chandigarh, Delhi, and Goa.
5. Jagannath Temple, Puri — Clash Between Priests and Government (Ongoing) - The famous Jagannath Temple in Puri remained closed to devotees when the sevayats (hereditary servitors) refused to open the gates following tensions with the Odisha government over a Supreme Court order imposing new "reforms" on the temple. The court order came in response to petitions citing mismanagement, inadequate hygiene, and commercialised rituals ironically, all issues that critics argue were caused or worsened by decades of state interference itself. 

These are the few examples that are recent and have caused pain to Hindus across the world. This needs to end now. India got its Independence in 1947 but the Hindu temples are yet to get theirs.