Overview

• G.O. No. 139 revises 2003 endowment rules to allow long-term leases of temple lands for up to 33 years at token fees without public auctions.
• YSRCP leaders contend the policy breaches High Court and Supreme Court mandates on auctions and was issued without cabinet consent.
• The Endowments Department oversees about 4.67 lakh acres of temple property, with 87,000 acres encroached and roughly 1.6 lakh acres generating revenue.
• The opposition plans to pursue judicial review, citing its 2018 success in overturning a Sadavarti Satram land deal that fetched over Rs 60 crore in a re-auction.
• The TDP-led government has not issued a formal response or indicated plans to revoke the controversial order.