Non-Hindu Employees from TTD will be Sacked?

The controversy had been raised last year that non-Hindus shouldn’t work as employees in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). However, the High Court declared that they shouldn’t be sacked. But, the controversy is again raised this year as some of the devotees are being influenced to convert into other religion by luring. Another recent incident happened in Tirupathi has made Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary LV Subrahmanyam to announce that non-Hindu employees will be sacked.

Recently, an advertisement of Jerusalem tour has been printed on the backside of APSRTC bus ticket and distributed to the passengers of the bus which is plying from Tirumala to Tirupati. So, as a safety measure, Subrahmanyam has announced the removal of non-Hindu employees. “There is no problem if people have converted while working here. They are free to change their religion. But, they can’t work anymore here,” he said. “They can practice their religion at home. But they have to leave the TTD. Even sudden inspections will be conducted at the house of TTD employees, Subrahmanyam said after completing the meeting with TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal.

Former TTD Executive Officer and ex-Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao praised the decision of Subrahmanyam saying that it is a desirable move. Last year, 44 non-Hindu employees who had been appointed in TTD were identified by monitoring, after a video of TTD Deputy Executive Officer Sneha Latha in which she is visiting Church was out. When TTD tried to remove them, they had approached court saying that they had not hidden their religion, when they got hired. The TTD had cited Government Order 1060 dated October 24, 1989, and argued that it was a violation of the guidelines of TTD. However, the non-Hindu staff managed to get a stay.

"The stay order is still in place. The TTD is free to hire whomever it wants for 'religious' posts but as far as jobs that are unrelated to religious affairs are concerned, discrimination on the grounds of religion could be construed as unconstitutional," Sudheer Jonnalagadda, the counsel for the petitioners(sic),” said

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