In Brief
The Supreme Court resolved a long-standing dispute regarding the legal status of Pujaris (Hindu temple priests) and their rights to temple property. The State of Madhya Pradesh had issued circulars directing the deletion of Pujari names from revenue records and replacing them with the Collector as manager. The Court held that Pujaris are not Bhumiswamis (landowners) but merely managers of temple property on behalf of the deity. They have no proprietary rights to alienate or transfer the land. The State's circular is valid as it falls within the government's authority to regulate revenue records, though recording names in the remarks column does not affect the Pujari's functional rights to manage and cultivate the land for temple maintenance."
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