Tirumala temple (Express Archives) Tirumala temple (Express Archives)

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh, has decided to seek the government’s advice on what to do with 42 non-Hindus working in the TTD. A government order issued in 2007 mandated that only Hindus can be recruited by the TTD as it is a purely Hindu organisation. The order exempted TTD’s educational institutions.

Prior to the order, 35 Christians were recruited by the TTD. After the 2007 order, seven Christians were recruited in the TTD’s educational institutions.

The TTD decided to seek the government’s advice after priests complained against the Deputy Executive Officer in the TTD’s Welfare Department, M S Snehalatha, after she was found to be using her official car to visit church every Sunday.

The matter came to light when Snehalatha reportedly changed her driver, who complained he was being made to work on Sundays.

TTD priests took up the issue, stating that non-Hindus should not be allowed to work in the TTD. A TTD official said, “…there are 42 non-Hindus working in TTD…. To avoid unnecessary controversies based on religion, we are writing to the government seeking its opinion on what to do with the non-Hindu employees.”

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