Court orders halt to demolition works at temple site

2026-03-13 - 08:35

The Selayang magistrates’ court said it took into account that the site has the potential to cause public tension if the situation is not properly controlled. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR: The magistrates’ court in Selayang ruled today that Yayasan Kubra can no longer carry out demolition works at a Hindu temple in Rawang pending a High Court ruling. Magistrate Chai Guan Hock said the court found that there was a dispute concerning the land, noting that the temple had existed at the site since 1995, while the current landowner had owned the land since 2021. “The court took into account that the site has the potential to cause public tension if the situation is not properly controlled,” he said. Chai said the temple management and Yayasan Kubra will need to submit written statements and supporting documents before the magistrate determines the site’s actual owner. “The court will examine the documents from both sides before deciding,” he said. Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal, the lawyers representing the Sri Uchimalai Muniswaran Temple management, said the magistrate’s decision meant that the “status quo must be maintained”. Rajesh also said that while the temple committee did not dispute Yayasan Kubra owned the land, it took issue with the manner of the temple’s partial demolition, describing it as “unlawful”. “If a temple is to be evicted, then you go to court and obtain a valid court order. “You cannot come in the middle of the night with a tractor and destroy a place of worship. That is not acceptable,” he said. Rajesh said police had been deployed to the temple site during the incident last month to prevent any untoward incidents, which he said underscored the risk of tensions escalating. Chai set June 5 for inquiry. On Feb 27, the temple committee filed a suit to prevent any action that could breach the peace pending an eviction order from the High Court. The suit was filed at the Shah Alam magistrates’ court. Rajesh had then said that the suit was filed to safeguard the temple’s interests from the actions of the landowner and third parties in “unlawfully demolishing the temple”. On Feb 11, police arrested four men who allegedly tried to demolish the temple. Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar said an investigation found that the men had demolished part of the Hindu temple without holding any discussions with the temple management or informing the local authorities. The four were later released.