Hyderabad: Telangana high court has ruled that tribal welfare laws do not govern the administration of religious endowments located within the Scheduled Areas.A petition was filed challenging a Nov 2024 notification issued by the endowments department, which invited applications from the general public to constitute a renovation committee for Sri Hemachala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Mulugu district. Delivering the verdict recently, Justice Surepalli Nanda observed that the management of the temple was regulated by the Endowments Act of 1987, which does not preclude non-tribals from serving on temple bodies.The judge further noted that the state followed the correct legal procedure in issuing the notification and that the petitioner’s arguments were untenable. Holding that the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) rules have no bearing on religious endowments, the court vacated the previous interim stay and dismissed the writ petition.The petitioner, PESA grama sabha, claimed that because the temple is situated in a notified Scheduled Area, the committee should consist exclusively of local Scheduled Tribes. They contended that inviting applications from non-tribals violates the Article 244(1), the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, the PESA Rules of 2011 and the Telangana Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation of 1959.“Even the authorities ignored their official resolution and subsequent representation to stall the selection process, mechanically disregarding tribal protections and undermined the landmark Samata judgment,” the petitioner stated.Countering these claims, the state and temple respondents argued that the land transfer regulation applies strictly to the transfer of title and possession of lands, which was irrelevant to the dispute, as no land transfer was taking place.“The temple is a public religious institution, governed strictly by Section 146 of the Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act of 1987,” the authorities stated.They further maintained that the grama sabha lacks competence to dictate temple appointments, adding that the trusteeship was a purely service-oriented, non-remunerative post that carries no monetary or employment benefits, thereby ensuring that tribal interests were not defeated.Accordingly, the court observed that the management of the temple was solely regulated by the Endowments Act of 1987, which does not preclude non-tribals from serving on temple bodies, and vacated the previous interim stay in the matter and dismissed the petition.