There is no role for a minister, not even the chief minister, in the appointment of trustees to temples or any other organisation, the Karnataka high court has said.

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The state could wield its authority, but such powers did not authorise any minister, including the chief minister, to act in violation of the statutory provisions, justice Mohan Shantana Goudar said on Wednesday.

The high court was hearing a petition alleging the chief minister’s interference in the selection of a member for the managing committee of the trust of the famous Kollur Mookambika temple.

The appointment was made on July 24, 2009, after the chief minister sent a note recommending the person, the petition said.

The appointment was, therefore, challenged in the high court.A note from the chief minister was no reason to reject the applications of other persons, the court said. Hence, the order dated July 24, 2009, on the appointment of the committee member, stood quashed, the court said.The Constitution did not envisage a government that functioned through the chief minister alone. All government orders must comply with the requirements of the state and also the constitutional provisions, the high court said.

“The Constitution envisages a rule of law and not rule of men,” justice Goudar said. “It recognises that however high a minister may be, he is under the law and the Constitution. So, he has to work under the constitutional limits,” he said.

Therefore, a minister, even if it was the chief minister, did not have any role in the appointment of management committee members, the high court said.

Nothing was placed on record to show that the chief minister, in his capacity as a member of the cabinet, was authorised to appoint members to managing committees of notified temples.

He should not overstep his authority, the court said.