Batu Caves temple management issues legal demand after Selangor exco remarks spark ownership row

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The management of the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple has issued a letter of demand against Selangor state executive councillor V Papparaidu, accusing him of making public remarks that the temple says suggested the centuries-old Hindu landmark at Batu Caves is privately owned, sparking a legal and political dispute over a proposed escalator project.

According to a report by Astro Awani, the letter demands an unconditional apology and a written undertaking from Papparaidu not to repeat the statements, which were made in a recent TikTok post and later reported by the media. 

Papparaidu is the Selangor executive councillor for human resources, poverty eradication, Orang Asli and minority affairs.

Temple representatives say the remarks have fuelled public backlash and controversy by giving the impression that the Batu Caves temple is controlled by a single family.

Lawyer Aswath, who represents the temple management, said Papparaidu has been given seven days to respond. 

“This letter of demand seeks an unconditional apology and a written undertaking that he will not repeat the same statements,” he told reporters at a press conference at Batu Caves yesterday, as reported by Astro Awani.

The dispute arose after Papparaidu said the Selangor state executive council meeting on February 6 had rejected an application for a Temporary Occupation Licence for commercial use, including the construction of an escalator within the Batu Caves complex. 

Papparaidu also said that the application was submitted in the name of an individual without a registered association, which he said contravened land rules under the National Land Code.

Papparaidu has since confirmed receiving the letter of demand, which he said seeks RM1 million in damages, and said he was prepared to “meet” the matter in court, according to Astro Awani.

Temple representatives, however, dispute that characterisation. 

Datuk Selva Mookiah, a lawyer for the temple, said the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple is managed by the Sri Mahamariamman Devasthanam Temple Committee, a charitable trust established by court order in 1930, and is not privately owned.

He said the escalator proposal was initially submitted under the temple’s status as a charitable trust, but authorities later requested a registration number that the temple does not have, as it operates under the supervision of the Attorney General’s Chambers rather than as a society registered with the Registrar of Societies, Astro Awani reported.

“There is more than one lawful way for a place of worship to operate in Malaysia,” Selva said, adding that the board of trustees had authorised the committee chairman, Tan Sri R Nadarajah, to submit the application on behalf of the trust, not in a personal capacity.

Selva also cited a March 20 letter from the Attorney General’s Chambers confirming that Sri Maha Mariamman Dhevasthanam is a public charity, with no registration number issued by the AGC. 

He said the temple has separately filed for judicial review to challenge instructions that it be registered as a society, with the High Court granting leave for the case to proceed.

Nadarajah said the escalator project was intended to help elderly devotees and persons with disabilities who are unable to climb the 272 steps leading up to the cave temple. 

“This issue should not be turned into a controversy. Our intentions are good,” he said, as quoted by Astro Awani.