In Brief
Small shopkeepers operating at temple premises in Tamil Nadu claimed they had permission or licence from temple authorities. They were served with dispossession notices by state authorities and temple management. The shopkeepers filed writ petitions seeking to quash the notices, which the High Court dismissed. The Supreme Court allowed their appeals, holding that dispossession cases involving temple lands are governed by specific statutory procedures under the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959. Since authorities had not followed these prescribed statutory remedies, the respondents were permitted to proceed against the shopkeepers only through the proper legal channels.
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