The appointment of the new trust board for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has triggered a lot of controversy, as the opposition parties have been raising a hue and cry over the credentials of some of the trust board members.
Some people have already moved the court challenging the appointment of three persons with criminal background in the TTD trust board.
Now, another controversy has surfaced over the nomination of Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy’s son Mohit Reddy as an ex-officio member of the trust board.
Mohit Reddy, who is already operating as Tirupati (Rural) Mandal Parishad chairman, took over as Tirupati Urban Development Authority chairman, replacing his father last month. He will be in the post for a period of three years.
So, in the capacity of the TUDA chairman, Mohit Reddy was nominated as the ex-officio member of the TTD trust board and he took the oath accordingly, a couple of days ago.
But now, this appointment has become controversial. The main opposition Telugu Desam Party is opposing Mohit Reddy’s appointment in the TTD, saying it is against the rules of the Endowments Act.
According to the eligibility criteria prescribed in the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act No. 30 of 1987, a person shall be disqualified for being appointed as, or for being, trustee of any charitable or religious institution or endowment if he has not completed 30 years of age.
The TDP leaders are arguing that Mohit Reddy is only 26 years old and so, as per the Act, he is not eligible for the appointment as a member in the TTD trust board.
“So, how can Mohit Reddy be appointed as ex-officio member of the TTD trust board, violating the norms of the Act?” they are asking.
A TDP leader alleged that the Jagan government was caring a damn for the Hindu Charitable Institutions and Endowments Act and appointing persons of its choice as the TTD trust board members, thereby disturbing its sanctity.
Sources said the TDP is planning to take to legal recourse challenging the appointment of Chevireddy’s son in the TTD by producing all the evidence in the court.