The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) which governs affairs at the Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday, reinstated former chief priest Dr A V Ramana Deekshitulu, who was unceremoniously sacked last year.
Deekshitulu has now been appointed as an 'Agama advisor', which will give him access to the temple again, on par with archakas or priests. Four former chief priests in total were appointed in this way.
In May last year, Deekshitulu alleged in a press meet that several old precious jewels were missing from Tirumala and also made claims of financial irregularities in the TTD. Deekshithulu had even moved court, inviting a Rs 100 crore defamation suit from the TTD.
Another key demand from Deekshitulu was that the TTD should be brought under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act for transparency in its functioning.
Deekshitulu was sacked even as there was an ongoing controversy between the archakas, who hold tradition and hereditary appointments in high regard, and the IAS officers who work as administrators, to ensure that protocol is maintained in the temple town.
The Andhra unit of the BJP has also made similar allegations. In August this year, BJP leader and former TTD Board member G Bhanu Prakash Reddy said that a crown which weighed around 5.4 kg and some jewellery offered by devotees, had been missing since October 2017 when an audit was conducted.
"Several crore devotees hold the temple in high regard. The TTD has a responsibility to keep its jewels safe. How could they go missing from the treasury? Can anyone just carry a crown out of the treasury?" he had asked at the time.
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