A section of residents of an apartment complex in Bengaluru have gone to court over a temple which they allege was built almost overnight and illegally on the premises by the office bearers of the residential complex association.
Four residents of SNN Raj Serenity, an apartment complex spread over about 15 acres in Yelenahalli in Begur, Bengaluru South, have filed a case in a local Bengaluru court regarding the dispute which has simmered for months. They alleged in their complaint that a temple was built in the common area without approval from either the residents or the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). The court has directed that status quo be maintained until the next hearing on April 16.
The temple is a makeshift structure with one wall supporting a roof, and a metal mesh with doors that function as walls that surround a Ganesha idol.
The atmosphere has been vitiated by a TV news report which accuses a woman of “insulting” the idol by wearing slippers inside the makeshift temple. During the commotion, a woman’s voice can be heard asking, “Where are the approvals?”
The woman later told TNM that she was being clearly singled out possibly because her husband is one of the petitioners in the court. “There were a lot of people wearing slippers that day, including the police,” she told TNM.
Jitendra, a resident who requested anonymity, told TNM that disagreement started in November 2024, when a section of residents attempted to install a Ganesha statue in a common area.
“The area was attached to the gate and is still a common area. We called the police and managed to stop the construction at the time because there were no approvals. The idol was then kept in a resident’s house. Now the same idol has been installed in another area,” Jitendra* said.
Sushant* (name changed), a former office bearer of the management committee of SNN Raj Serenity Apartment Owners Association (SRSAOA), told TNM that the general body meetings in December 2024 and in August 2025 had resolved that any place of worship within the common areas must not be constructed until a formal regulatory clearance is obtained. This includes a mandatory modification of the Master Plan approved by the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Area Planning Authority and the GBA.
“Without the mandatory approvals, occupancy certificates can be cancelled by the fire department, and authorities could impose penalties too,” Sushant said.
However, a small temple was built in the early hours of March 20 near Block A by a group of people led by Vivekanand Pandey, president of the association and other office bearers.
Jitendra said that he and others then went to the Begur police station and got the police to register a Non-Cognisable Report (NCR). “By Sunday (March 29), a lot of people came to do pooja and it is slowly becoming a place of worship,” Jitendra said.
43-year-old resident Chitra*, who has lived with her family at the apartment for many years , says there is a rift among the residents over these developments because many were not informed.
“They built it overnight by breaking rules and by breaking the trust that the residents have for the management committee. We’re asking for documents on the approvals from the GBA. When we raise these questions, there are no answers. I would be ok if it were done with approvals, but they’re doing it in such a hushed manner. I totally object to this,” she said.
Jitendra pointed out that common areas were jointly owned by all the apartment owners. “This is being done in the common area. But each resident’s consent is required because it was not there when we bought the apartment. The common area is my land too. Tomorrow will I be allowed to build something there? It’s an encroachment. It would be fine if the temple was approved.”