Temples are not fiefdoms of the state Updated: Updated: April 29, 2021 07:59 IST What is being asserted by the community is the right of representation in the affairs of the management of temples Share Article AAA What is being asserted by the community is the right of representation in the affairs of the management of temples In the article, The Hindu, Editorial page, April 22, 2021), in the absence of any answer as to whom temples would be entrusted to — if the government were to cede its control — the writer enters the realm of imagination and divines an answer — “powerful private interests”. No doubt the problem of hierarchical division in Hindu society is prevalent. But the issue of government control of temples is distinct from the issue of throwing open Hindu religious institutions to all classes and sections of society. To confuse the two is constitutionally misleading. Separate pieces of legislation exist — the [Madras] Temple Entry Authorisation Act, 1947 — to address these issues.