HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE RAMESH RANGANATHAN WRIT PETITION No.6627 OF 2010 ORDER: The petitioner herein, claiming to be a member of the founder family, has filed this writ petition to declare the action of the first respondent in issuing notification No.A4/902/2010 dated 20.02.2010, calling for applications for constitution of the Trust Board in respect of Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Medchal Village and Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, pending his application dated 25.01.2010 to be declared as founder family member, as illegal and arbitrary. The petitioner would submit that his father was declared as a member of the founder family by the first respondent vide order dated 16.07.1993 in O.A.No. 8 of 1993; after his father’s death he and his two brothers succeeded as his legal heirs; as his brothers were not interested in looking after the affairs of the temple he had filed application dated 25.01.2010 before the first respondent seeking a declaration that he was a member of the founder family; and the first respondent had issued the impugned notification dated 20.02.2010, calling for the applications for the constitution of Trust Board, under Section 15(2) of the A.P. Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987 (Act 30 of 1987). The grievance of the petitioner is that if a Trust Board is constituted before he is declared as a member of the founder family he would then be denied his right of being appointed as the Chairman of the Trust Board. Under Section 87(5) of Act 30 of 1987, the Deputy Commissioner of Endowments has been empowered to continue to enquire into and decide disputes referred to in sub-section(1) until the constitution of the Endowments Tribunal. Learned Government Pleader for Endowments, on instructions, would submit that the petitioner had filed the application before the Deputy Commissioner not on 25.01.2010 but on 10.03.2010 after the impugned notification was issued. He would submit that the Endowments Tribunal has not commenced functioning and, in such circumstances, it is the Deputy Commissioner who has the jurisdiction to decide the dispute whether or not the petitioner is a member of the founder family. I see no reason to interdict the process initiated by the Government for constitution of the Trust Board of the temple. The Writ Petition is, accordingly, disposed of directing the first respondent to decide the application submitted by the petitioner, under Section 87(1) of Act 30 of 1987 at the earliest and, in any event, not later than four weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. However, in the circumstances, without costs. RAMESH RANGANATHAN, J Date:29.03.2010 Usd