Hyderabad, June 30: A news report going viral on social media has claimed that four pujaris appointed under the Tamil Nadu government's "All Castes Archakas" scheme were suspended following serious allegations of misbehaviour. The news report alleged that the priests were suspended over misbehaviour at Periya Mariamman Temple in Srivilliputhur, the birthplace of Saint Andal. The report published on June 27, claimed that priests (pujaris), who were appointed under the DMK government, were fired after allegations of drinking in public, obscene behaviour, and sexual misconduct at the historic temple in Srivilliputhur, Virudhunagar district.

According to the news report, the four priests were allegedly found dancing in an obscene and inebriated state at the Periya Mariamman Temple. The news report also claimed that in a viral video, one of the priests allegedly exposed himself while another was seen flinging sacred ash towards a woman devotee in an inappropriate manner. After the video surfaced, complaints of sexual misconduct were also lodged against the four priests. The report also quoted the temple's executive officer, Jothilakshmi, who confirmed that the pujaris were temporarily relieved of their duties. It is also claimed that the incident occurred when pre-consecration rituals were underway. Narendra Modi Govt Giving Laptops To Students Free of Cost Under ‘Free Laptop Scheme 2025’? PIB Fact Check Debunks Fake News Going Viral.

Tamil Nadu Government Reveals Truth About Srivillipuththoor Temple Priests Being Fired

However, a fact check by Tamil Nadu's government's fact-check unit debunked the news report as fake and revealed the truth. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Tamil Nadu government termed the news report as fake propaganda against "All caste Archakas" in Srivillipuththoor temple. It further said that the information in the news article is fake. "Priests in the video were not appointed under the Tamil Nadu government's All caste archakas scheme," it said.

Tamil Nadu government's fact-check unit also said that the executive officer of Srivilliputhur Periya Mariamman Temple clarified that the priest, Gomathi Vinayagam, who is seen in the viral video, was temporarily appointed under "Thakkaar theermaanam" on December 12, 2024. As the Tamil Nadu government clarified, the four priests appointed under the "All Castes Archakas" scheme have not been fired. A viral video has been wrongly attributed to claim that the four priests of the Srivillipuththoor temple have been suspended. Fact Check: Does Kasba Law College Gang-Rape Case Have Communal Angle? Kolkata Police Debunk Misleading Social Media Posts Giving Communal Colour to Incident.

The news report cited the same video to allege that the priests were fired over sexual misconduct after their obscene video went viral.

Fact check

Fact Check: Were Temple Priests Appointed Under 'All Castes Archakas Scheme' Suspended Over Sexual Misconduct After Obscene Video Went Viral? Tamil Nadu Govt Debunks Fake News Report
Claim :

Four temple priests appointed under "All Castes Archakas Scheme" suspended over sexual misconduct after obscene goes viral

Conclusion :

Tamil Nadu government termed the news report as fake propaganda against "All caste Archakas"

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2025 11:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).