KUALA LUMPUR — Selangor state executive councillor V. Papparaidu will meet the management of the Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple and hold a press conference in an effort to resolve the temple’s dispute with the state over approval for an escalator project.
He said this on Facebook, adding that he wanted a harmonious resolution and did not intend to prolong the matter any further as the Thaipusam festival is approaching.
The exco is facing a letter of demand (LOD) from the temple management over his remarks about rejection of the escalator project.
However, Papparaidu reiterated that the temple must be registered under the Registrar of Societies (ROS), stressing that old court orders on the temple’s establishment do not supersede the Federal Constitution.
“The Malaysian legal system provides that the Federal Constitution is the highest law of the country as stipulated under Article 4(1) of the Federal Constitution,” Papparaidu said.
“In that regard, all forms of law, court decisions, old orders as well as administrative practices are subject to the principle of such law hierarchy and cannot contradict the higher law,” he added.
Within the legal hierarchy, old court orders rank below Parliamentary laws, he also said.
“Therefore, if ROS law states that any organisation or entity in a particular category should be registered, the old ordinance which only establishes internal status such as trustees and trustees cannot be used as an excuse to avoid such obligation, unless ROS law itself provides clear exemptions."
The temple management has insisted that it can proceed with the escalator to the Upper Cave of Batu Caves, whereas the state holds that the project cannot go ahead unless the temple is formally registered with the ROS.
The Selangor government rejected the project proposal after the application was submitted under the name of a private individual.
In a subsequent press conference, the temple’s legal representative, Datuk Selva Mookiah, explained that the application was made under Tan Sri Nadarajah’s name in his capacity as chairman and trustee member of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Dhevasthanam.
Nadarajah also said that the temple does not require an ROS registration number, as it was established by a trust under a court order in 1930. - January 17, 2026
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