Mangaluru : The members of the Karnataka Rajya Dharmika Parishat (a quasi-judicial body formed by the government under Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Amended Act 2011) have on Saturday strongly defended the decision of the government.

The support has come barely a day after students of two schools in Dakshina Kannada protested the government order to rescind the financial assistance extended from Kollur Mookambika Temple Trust to provide mid-day meals.

Parishat member Jagan Nivas Rao told reporters here that the order to withdraw financial assistance was in conformation with the decision taken six months ago in keeping with the law, as the grants were being issued in violation of the Muzrai Act. While Sri Rama School in Kalladka was provided a financial aid of Rs 2.34 crore, a sum of Rs 50 lakh was given to the Sri Devi School on Punacha. It was extended in violation of all rules by the Parishat body that existed earlier.

Substantiating his claims with documents gleaned through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Rao said that, according to Section 19 of Muzrai Act, barring the schools directly run by temples or where the Veda is being taught in particular, besides those coming under the stipulated rules of the Parishat, no other private educational institution in general is eligible for assistance from temples under general fund. There is a set of rules on transfer of funds and also its maintenance.

Denying the claims that the aforementioned schools were adopted by the temple, Rao said, there is no scope for such adoption. Moreover, even if the school was adopted as claimed by the disgruntled parties, the temple should have been managing the schools on its own, not using others’ help, as is the case with schools belonging to the trust headed by individuals.

Rao said mention must be made of the High Court order following a public interest litigation (PIL). The petitioner in the case had challenged the diversion of funds from general funds of the temple towards the activities of Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP). The court had eventually ruled in favour of the petitioner, saying that the funds should be used for temples only.

The grave irregularities in the Parishat came to light only a few months ago, when an application was received for renewal of financial aid from Kukke Subrahmanya Swamy Temple to the school in Kalladka in 2015. However, nobody protested when the permission was denied citing the rule book.

Not just those two schools, some other schools in the district – like Bharati Higher Primary School in Kabaka, schools in Sullia and Bilimale, and the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat’s higher primary school in Subrahmanya – which enjoyed benefits till 2012, have been denied renewal of financial assistance from temples.

Saying that it was not an isolated case where the government is being blamed for targeting Kalladka and Punacha schools, another Parishat member B L Padmanabh Kotian gave a list of many such schools in other parts of the state, standing in the same line. They are schools in Jewargi in Kalaburgi district, Hoovinahadagali in Ballari district, Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district.

In all, 74 applications have been received for renewal from across the state and the Parishat will take a call only after vetting into the same, added Kotian.