Arjun Dass Vs State of Andhra Pradesh And Ors. (Supreme Court of India)
Introduction: On May 29, 2026, a Division Bench of the Supreme Court of India, comprising Hon’ble Mr. Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Atul S. Chandurkar, delivered a landmark judgment in Arjun Dass v. The State of Andhra Pradesh and Ors., reported as 2026 INSC 592. This seminal verdict, arising from the Civil Appellate Jurisdiction of the Court, invalidated the removal of the Mahant (Mathadhipathi) of the ancient Sri Swamy Hathiramji Mutt in Tirupathi. The judgment serves as a powerful exposition on the inviolable principles of natural justice, the perils of structural bias in quasi-judicial proceedings, and the profound scope of the Court’s plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution. In setting aside the orders of the Dharmika Parishad and the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court not only restored the appellant, Mahant Arjun Dass, to his office but also crafted a novel, judicially supervised mechanism to ensure a fair and unbiased enquiry, thereby safeguarding both individual rights and institutional integrity.
Factual Matrix: A Two-Decade Jurisdictional Tug-of-War
The appellant, Mahant Arjun Dass, had been associated with the Mutt since 1970, ascending to the office of permanent Mathadhipathi in the year 2000. His tenure was marked by a protracted and contentious history of litigation with the Endowments Department of the State of Andhra Pradesh. The immediate dispute was catalysed in May 2023, when the Dharmika Parishad, a statutory body under the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987 (‘1987 Act’), passed a pre-decisional resolution on May 9, 2023, to initiate suspension proceedings and frame charges against the appellant.
