The Karnataka High Court has issued comprehensive tech-enabled guidelines to ensure that the money, offerings and properties of every Hindu temple under the Muzrai Department are fully accounted for and protected, with theft or misappropriation prevented at the source.
Justice Suraj Govindaraj, while upholding the 2020 dismissal of Rajesh Nayak, a second division assistant at Sri Durga Parameshwari temple in Udupi district, for issuing duplicate receipts by misusing the IT administrator’s credentials, said, “In the larger public interest, to secure the proper administration of public religious endowments, this court considers it appropriate to issue certain general directions.”
The court directed that electronic payment facilities shall, as far as practicable, be made available for all payments including Hundi offerings, Kanike, Archana, Seva tickets, accommodation charges, vehicle parking, donations, sale of Prasada, sale of publications and every other amount payable to the institution. Digital kiosks and self-service payment terminals may also be installed at appropriate locations to facilitate contactless payments.
Each receipt must carry a printed QR code, which a devotee may scan or use to verify with the central server that the receipt is genuine and unique, so the devotee can detect a duplicate or fabricated receipt at the counter itself. The software system must maintain tamper-evident audit logs, ensuring no record can be silently altered or deleted.
The court also directed implementation of periodic weighing, verification and valuation of ornaments, protocol for melting or conversion of gold offerings, development of a digitised property register and encroachment monitoring. CCTV cameras shall be installed to cover all collection counters, the hundi and counting areas, the strong room and the jewellery room, with recordings preserved for a prescribed minimum period.
The Commissioner and the Principal Secretary, e-Governance Department, have been directed to jointly file a status report within three months, setting out the roadmap drawn up and the progress made in giving effect to these directions.
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