Tirupati priests call on Andhra CM after reinstatement

Amaravati, April 6 (IANS) Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chief priest A. V. Ramana Deekshitulu and other priests called on Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday, following their reinstatement.The priests presented Lord Venkateswara Swamy's prasadam (consecrated food) to Reddy and thanked him for reinstating 15 hereditary priests associated with the temples under the TTD.The priests are associated with the Tirumala Venkateswara Swamy temple, Tirupati Govindaraja Swamy temple and Thiruchanur Sri Padmavathi Ammavari temple.The reinstatements come as a consequence of Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment in December 2018, acting on the writ petitions filed by the priests after the TTD board retired all priests above 65 years of age.Many senior priests were forcibly retired back in May 2018 during the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rule.Though the Court ordered immediate reinstatement, it did not happen.Before coming to power, Reddy promised that he would reinstate the fired priests which happened now.
--IANS sth/rt