In a setback to the ruling Congress in Karnataka, a bill that sought to collect funds from temples with over Rs 10 lakh annual income was defeated by the opposition BJP-JD(S) combine in the Legislative Council.
The Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed by the Legislative Assembly earlier this week.
It was defeated by a voice vote in the Upper House, where the opposition has a majority, on Friday.
The bill among other things, proposes to collect five per cent from temples whose gross income is between Rs 10 lakh and less than Rs one crore and 10 per cent from temples whose income is above Rs one crore, to be put into a Common Pool Fund, administered by ‘Rajya Dharmika Parishath’, which is proposed to be used for Archakas’ (priests) welfare and upkeep of ‘C’ category temples (state controlled) whose annual income is less than Rs five lakh.
The act that was earlier amended in 2011 had made way for five per cent of the net income of temples with annual income between Rs five lakh and Rs 10 lakh and 10 per cent of the net income of temples with annual income of over Rs 10 lakh would come to the fund.
The amendment bill had created a huge controversy, as it angered the opposition, especially the BJP, which charged the ruling Congress with trying to fill its ’empty coffers’ with temple money, while, the Congress had sought to turn the tables saying the saffron party had effected an amendment in 2011 to seek funds from high-income Hindu shrines.