Deity Is Owner Of Temple Land, Not Priest: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court said the "Pujari", or priest, only holds the land for the purpose of management of the property of the temple.

A priest cannot be treated as Bhumiswami (owner of land) and the deity is the owner of the land attached to a temple, the Supreme Court has ruled. A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and A S Bopanna said the "Pujari", or priest, only holds the land for the purpose of management of the property of the temple. "In the ownership column, the name of the deity alone is required to be mentioned, as the deity being a juristic person is the owner of the land. The occupation of the land is also by the deity which is carried out by the servant or the managers on behalf of the deity. Therefore, the name of the manager or that of the priest is not required to be mentioned in the column of occupier as well," the top court said on Monday. It added that the law is clear on the distinction that the pujari is not a Kashtkar Mourushi, (tenant in cultivation) or a government lessee or an ordinary tenant of the maufi lands (land exempted from payment of revenue) but holds such land on behalf of the Aukaf Department (relating to "Devasthan") for the purpose of management.