On January 27, the Supreme Court's division bench, presided over by Justices S.K. Kaul and A.S. Oka, declined to hear the Andhra Pradesh government's appeal of the High Court's ruling, which stated that the State's choice to name a "Executive Officer" to oversee and manage the affairs of the Ahobilam Temple in Kurnool violates Article 26(d) of the Constitution and interferes with the Mathadipathi's right 

The State's argument was heard by a Bench. The Bench was not persuaded that the State should meddle in temple affairs.

The judge gave the petition a brief hearing but did not appear convinced. He observed:

“Let the temple people deal with it...Why should religious places not be left to religious people?”.

It has been made clearly plain by a Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court that the Temple is a crucial component of the Ahobilam Mutt, which is located in Tamil Nadu. The State Government's argument that the temple and Mutt were separate legal entities was rejected. The Court stated that just because the Mutt and the Temple are located in different states—one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Andhra Pradesh—does not mean that they are no longer connected. The High Court has reached the conclusion that the Temple and the Mutt were founded and run by the Mathadipathis since the beginning of time based on historical documents, literary works, and archaeological facts.

The initial petitioners' (devotees') argument was that the State Government lacks the authority to name the Executive Officer for either the Mutt or the Temple under the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act. Chapter V of the Act was cited in support of the argument that the Maths should be granted a unique status and the authority to administer their own affairs. A non-hereditary trustee appointment to the temple is not a practise, it was further noted, and the State Government itself acknowledged this in 2014.

Case Title: State of AP And Ors. v. Ahobila Mutt Parampara Adhena Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam 
Citation: SLP(C) No. 1538-1540/2023