Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Telangana High Court Orders Temple Honours, Lightning Compensation
The Telangana High Court heard two different cases.
One case is about who in a temple founder’s family should receive honours and have rights at the temple.
The court has not decided which family members have those rights.
For now, it said the temple should continue giving the honours to all members of the family.
The court will hear that case again on November 5.
In another case, a father said he had not received money the government had already approved after his son died in a lightning strike.
The court directed officials to consider his claim and release the approved Rs 6 lakh.
The two cases are separate, though they were both heard by Justice Surepalli Nanda.
The Telangana High Court directed Sri Peddamma temple to continue honours for all members of late P Janardhan Reddy’s family while claims over their rights remain pending.
The temple dispute involves competing claims over recognition as founder-family members, trustee appointments and a one-year rotation of rights.
The court said all concerned parties must be heard and listed the temple-related case for November 5.
In a separate case, the court directed authorities to consider and release a sanctioned Rs 6 lakh ex-gratia payment to Thotapally Yallaiah.
Yallaiah’s 20-year-old son, Thotapally Venu Babu, died after a lightning strike on July 23, 2025, according to the petition.
- Who
- The Telangana High Court, temple founder-family members, and petitioner Thotapally Yallaiah.
- What
- The court ordered continued temple honours for the family pending proceedings and directed authorities to consider and release a sanctioned Rs 6 lakh ex-gratia payment.
- When
- The temple case was heard on Wednesday and posted for November 5. Venu Babu died on July 23, 2025.
- Where
- Sri Peddamma temple in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad; the lightning death occurred near Pedda Gollagudem village in Mulugu district.
- Why
- The temple order preserves the existing honours while competing family claims are considered; the compensation direction followed a petition alleging that an approved payment had not been released.
Petitioners’ claims
Competing claims and authorities
Recognition and temple rights
Petitioners’ claims
P Vishnuvardhan Reddy challenged the Endowments department’s one-year rotation of founder-family rights. P Vijaya Reddy and three others sought recognition as founder-family members and rotational trustee appointments.
Competing claims and authorities
The matter involves competing claims within the family; the court said the claims require detailed consideration and all concerned parties must be heard. It did not decide which claimants are entitled to the rights.
Lightning death compensation
Petitioners’ claims
Yallaiah said authorities had not paid the Rs 6 lakh ex-gratia already sanctioned for his son’s death, and argued that he was entitled to the benefit.
Competing claims and authorities
The article reports the authorities’ failure to release the payment as the petitioner’s allegation; it does not provide a separate substantive response from the authorities. The court directed them to consider the claim and release the sanctioned amount under the relevant government orders.
- Court
- Telangana High Court
- Judge
- Justice Surepalli Nanda
- Temple
- Sri Peddamma temple, Jubilee Hills
- Temple case status
- All members of late P Janardhan Reddy’s family are to continue receiving the honours they previously received until the pending proceedings are disposed of.
- Next temple hearing
- November 5
- Ex-gratia amount
- Rs 6 lakh, sanctioned under the State Disaster Response Fund
- Date of lightning death
- July 23, 2025