In Brief
The State of Madhya Pradesh appealed against a High Court decision that quashed government circulars deleting priests' names from land revenue records. The Supreme Court held that a priest is merely a manager of temple property on behalf of the deity, holding no proprietary or ownership rights. Although priests cannot be treated as Bhumiswamis (landowners), the Court ruled that the State's circulars directing complete deletion of priests' names were improper. The priest's name may be recorded in the remarks column of revenue records, provided the priest properly performs religious and management duties. The appeal was allowed and the High Court's order was set aside."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.