The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has taken disciplinary action against 18 employees for allegedly “practicing” and “participating” in non-Hindu religious activities. A memo issued on February 1 stated that their actions affect the “sanctity, sentiments, and beliefs” of Hindu devotees. This move comes in the wake of the TDP government’s recent decision to employ only Hindus in Tirumala.
The 18 employees have been barred from directly working at the Tirumala temple or any other temple, and from being involved in any religious activities. The employees were engaged in teaching or other roles in TTD’s educational institutions, or in healthcare roles in TTD-run hospitals, or in technical roles in the engineering or electrical departments.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allies Jana Sena Party (JSP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have adopted an aggressive pro-Hindutva stance in the state since coming to power in June 2024.
The memo imposing punishments on the 18 employees referenced a 1989 Government Order, GO Ms No 1060 Revenue (Endowments-1), which lays out the TTD’s service rules. It cited Rule 9 (vi), which says that only “persons professing Hindu Religion” will be recruited by the TTD. This rule was only added in 2007.
As a result, the TTD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has instructed the Chief Engineer and other officials to examine the job role of these 18 employees and ensure they are not assigned to duties in Tirumala, any other temple, or temple-related religious activities. Additionally, employees posted in "religiously sensitive" areas are to be transferred immediately.
According to former TTD Board chairperson and YSRCP leader YV Subba Reddy, there are about 40 non-Hindu employees working under TTD. These non-Hindus are employed only outside the temple premises in non-religious work, such as hospitals and schools managed by the TTD, and most of them were hired before the service rules were amended in 2007 to prohibit recruitment of non-Hindus.
In November 2024, the TTD Board resolved to take steps to remove all non-Hindu employees working with TTD, by transferring them to other government departments or offering the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS).
The memo does not specify the evidence or methods used to determine that the employees were practicing a non-Hindu faith. It only states that it had been "proved" that they were involved in non-Hindu religious activities, despite taking an oath to follow “Hindu dharma and Hindu traditions only.”
“In spite of that, the following employees are practicing and participating in non-Hindu religious activities and also taking part in Hindu religious fairs, festivals, and functions conducted by TTD, which impacts the sanctity, sentiments, and beliefs of crores of Hindu devotees,” the memo reads.
The order further directs that these employees should not be assigned to temple-related duties, religious processions, programs, fairs, and festivals organised by the TTD.
Since 2017, the religious affiliations of TTD staff members have been under intense scrutiny. Right-wing groups have been demanding that non-Hindus must not be associated with the TTD in any capacity. The previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) had also attempted to remove non-Hindu TTD employees from service, but this was challenged in court. The new TTD board has now decided to instead offer alternative jobs or VRS to these employees.
