The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday granted time till February 28, 2026, to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple authorities to complete the renovation work of Pudu Mandapam near the temple in Madurai.
A Division Bench of Justices Anita Sumanth and C. Kumarappan took cognisance of a report submitted by the Joint Commissioner / Executive Officer of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple.
Executive Officer N. Suresh, in the status report, said as per the work schedule, stone laying and replacement work are expected to be completed by December 31, 2025. However, water-washing, polishing, and detailed finishing work require additional time due to the nature of the work. It involves minute sculptural detailing and requires careful handling of ancient stone structures.
The status report said the delay was neither wilful nor wanton but purely due to bonafide and practical constraints in carrying out the restoration in an authentic and safe manner. In order to ensure that finishing, detailing and final inspection work are completed without compromising on quality or tradition, time till February 28, 2026 was sought to comply with the directions of the court.
The work was being executed with meticulous care and precision ensuring that heritage integrity and agamic principles were fully respected, it was submitted.
The Executive Officer filed the petition seeking extension of time to comply with the 2024 High Court order. In July 2024, the court disposed of a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate R. Manibharathi of Madurai and directed the temple authorities to complete the renovation of Pudu Mandapam in six months. The matter was posted for reporting compliance.
Published – November 08, 2025 12:33 am IST
