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Arjun Dass v. The State of Andhra Pradesh and Ors.

Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 592Decided 29 May 2026
C.A. No.-008268-008268 - 2026
Justice J.K. Maheshwari · Justice Atul S. Chandurkar

Background

The appellant had served the Sri Swamy Hathiramji Mutt in Tirupathi since 1970, rising from Pujari to Adhikari, and was formally appointed permanent Mahant (Mathadhipati) in 2000 after confirmation by the apex body of Hindu Sants. Years of litigation followed over control of the Mutt's secular affairs, culminating in a High Court judgment recognising the appellant's right to manage them, which the State itself implemented via a government order. The Dharmika Parishad (Endowments authority) later removed the appellant from his post and appointed an interim "Fit Person" in his place, a decision the Andhra Pradesh High Court upheld; the appellant, now in his seventies and having been out of office for nearly two years, appealed to the Supreme Court.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court held that the removal effectively undid, through administrative action, a judicial determination that had already attained finality and been executed by the State's own government order. Because the Dharmika Parishad itself had been defunct for nearly two years with no reconstitution in sight, the Court found the existing institutional framework structurally unable to deliver a fair, timely fresh enquiry, and invoked its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution to fashion a one-time, case-specific solution. It set aside the High Court's judgment and the removal order, restored the appellant as Mathadhipati (with authority over religious functions), but simultaneously constituted a court-appointed Administrative Committee (headed by a retired High Court judge) to jointly oversee the Mutt's administration and finances pending a fresh enquiry by a duly reconstituted Dharmika Parishad.

Lesson Learnt

The Supreme Court can use its Article 142 "complete justice" power to craft a bespoke interim arrangement when the ordinary statutory machinery meant to resolve a dispute has itself become dysfunctional or delayed: here, restoring the religious head to office while installing independent oversight of the institution's assets until due process is properly completed, without permanently disturbing the statutory scheme itself.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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