Karnataka govt rejects appointment of non-Brahmins as priests; won't follow TN & Kerala

The BJP-ruled Karnataka government on Monday categorically denied any proposal to appoint non-Brahmins as temple priests, thereby refusing to follow in the footsteps of the Tamil Nadu government. Responding to a query raised by Congress legislator RB Timmapur, Karnataka's Minister for Muzrai said that temple priests and employees would continue to be appointed as per section 12(1) of the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments 2002. As per reports, over 34,000 temples come under the ambit of the Government of Karnataka's Muzrai department. 

In 2018, the Kerala government had allowed the appointment of Dalit priests to the government-controlled temples in the state. The Travancore Dewasom Board (TDB) had recommended the appointment of 36 non-Brahmins, including six Dalits, as priests to temples in the state. 

Tamil Nadu Minister asks women to apply for priests

Earlier in June, Tamil Nadu Hindu Religion and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister PK Sekar Babu had urged women who wished to become priests to apply and informed that they would be trained by the government. The Tamil Nadu HR&CE Minister had made an appeal to women to apply if they wished to become priests and said that the government would offer training courses for such women and would appoint them as priests, pending the approval of CM MK Stalin. Further, HR&CE Minister PK Sekar Babu had also vowed to appoint priests from all castes within 100 days.

In a meeting, DMK Minister PK Sekar Babu had addressed the vacancies for the position of staff at the state's temples and noted that an order had been issued to fill these positions. The HR&CE Minister had said that decisions on appointments from other castes would be taken by CM Stalin 'without hurting the sentiments of other religious groups. 'Further, PK Sekar Babu had informed that 47 'senior-grade' temples had been ordered to put up boards stating that the prayers would be conducted in Tamil. The HR&CE Minister had also announced the formation of a team that would monitor the health conditions of the elephants at the temples.