'Violated oath to follow Hinduism': Tirupati temple board suspends official for attending church; probe confirms regular Sunday visits
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
(TTD) on Tuesday suspended A Rajasekhar Babu, an assistant executive officer (AEO) rank official for allegedly practising another religion in violation of the declaration at the time of appointment of adhering to Hinduism.
He was working in the auction section of the marketing department of the temple trust.
The trust recently ordered a vigilance inquiry on Rajasekhar Babu's activities after allegations surfaced that he regularly visited a local church every Sunday in his native town Puttur. After the vigilance inquiry concluded that the allegations were true, TTD issued suspension orders on Tuesday.
"It is a clear case of violation of the TTD norms, as he has not followed the code of conduct for employees of the organisation and has acted irresponsibly as an employee representing a Hindu religious organisation," an official TTD statement read on Tuesday.
As per rule 9 (vi) of the service rules issued in 1989, all employees, while joining the TTD, are required to take an oath and sign a declaration that they would follow only the Hindu dharma and traditions throughout their service in the TTD.
The trust's board, headed by chairman BR Naidu, had resolved on Nov 18 last year to oust all non-Hindus working in the organisation by offering them to opt for a specially designed voluntary retirement package.
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