11 Executive Officers and the Endowments Act · 11.1 Executive Officers and the Endowments Act
11.1.2 EO grades and the department's officers
The Endowments Department runs from the Government through the Commissioner, Regional Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners down to the institution's Executive Officer; which officer controls a temple, and which grade of EO it gets, depends on its Section 6 income class.
- APPSC Paper I
- Standard level
- 9 min read
- Free
Core facts
- The ladder: Government (Revenue (Endowments) Department, Minister for Endowments) → Commissioner → Additional Commissioner → Regional Joint Commissioner (region) → Deputy Commissioner (division) → Assistant Commissioner (sub-division) → Executive Officer (institution).
- S.3: the Government appoints the Commissioner, Additional Commissioner, RJCs, DCs and ACs. All must profess the Hindu religion; their pay comes from the Consolidated Fund and is recovered from the Endowments Administration Fund.
- S.5: the Commissioner, with the Government's prior approval, divides the State into regions (RJC), divisions (DC) and sub-divisions (AC).
- S.6: the Commissioner publishes five lists by income, 6(a) to 6(e) (asked 2023: classification is by annual income).
| List | Act text (S.6) | Current limits (G.O.Ms.No.268, 12-11-2024) | Controlling officer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6(a) | Above ₹25 lakh | ₹50 lakh and above | Commissioner |
| 6(b) | ₹2 lakh – ₹25 lakh | ₹15 lakh – below ₹50 lakh | Deputy Commissioner |
| 6(c) | Below ₹2 lakh | Below ₹15 lakh | Assistant Commissioner |
| 6(d) | Mutts, any income | Same | Commissioner |
| 6(e) | Dharmadayams, any income | Same | Commissioner |
- EO authorities (2026 key):
| Matter | Authority |
|---|---|
| Appoint EO Grades I, II, III | Commissioner |
| EO of a ₹1 crore+ institution | Government |
| Post an RJC as EO | Government |
| Post a DC or AC as EO | Commissioner |
| Group institutions under one EO | Commissioner |
| Transfer EOs | Commissioner |
| Draw and disburse EOs' salaries | Assistant Commissioner |
- Promotion quota: 20% of vacancies in Grade I and Grade II, 40% in Grade III, filled by employees of institutions (asked 2026: Grade I = 20%).
Explained
The officers and their sections.
| Officer | Section | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Commissioner | S.7, S.8 | A corporation sole (sues and is sued in that name, with a seal); general superintendence and control of all institutions; direct charge of 6(a), 6(d), 6(e) |
| Additional Commissioner | S.8(3) | Powers as the Government fixes; budgets of ₹1 crore+ temples up to DC-cadre (2026 key) |
| Regional Joint Commissioner | S.9 | Commissioner's functions in a region; his orders count as the Commissioner's |
| Deputy Commissioner | S.10 | Powers over the 6(b) list in his division; appoints boards of below ₹2 lakh temples (S.15) |
| Assistant Commissioner | S.11 | Powers over the 6(c) list in his sub-division; DDO for EOs |
| Executive Officer | S.29 | Runs one institution or a group |
- Delegation (S.8(4)–(5)): the Commissioner may hand his powers to a DC or AC, except core ones (S.8(1), S.6 classification, S.15 boards and a few others).
- Inspection (S.12): any of these officers may inspect an institution's property and records, but the officer who enters a religious institution must be a Hindu, and must respect its customs (S.13).
- Change of list: if an institution's income stays above or below its slab for three consecutive years, the Commissioner moves it to the right list. Since Act 36 of 2023 the Government may fix the slabs by Gazette notification, which it did by G.O.Ms.No.268 (12-11-2024).
Qualifications of the Commissioner (S.4). One of: a person who is or was a District Collector (or of equal or higher rank); a member of the State's Higher Judicial Service; an advocate with 10 years in the High Court or Supreme Court; or an Additional Commissioner. An Assistant Commissioner is recruited directly from advocates with 3 years' High Court practice, or by promotion of superintendents or EOs of the prescribed grade.
EO grades and how a temple gets its EO.
- The cadre of an institution's EO depends on its income (S.29(1)). Small temples get a Grade III EO, bigger ones Grade II or Grade I; the largest are headed by an Assistant, Deputy or Regional Joint Commissioner posted as EO. The department speaks of "DC-cadre" or "JC-cadre" institutions in this sense.
- Grade III EOs are recruited by APPSC (this exam); 40% of Grade III vacancies go to qualified institution employees by promotion; 20% in the two higher grades.
- Government servants: EOs are Government employees whose service conditions the Government fixes (S.29(3)(d)); pay is drawn by the Assistant Commissioner and recovered from the Endowments Administration Fund.
Staff of the institutions (Ss.35–39).
| Matter | Section | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Fill vacancies in the sanctioned cadre | S.35(1) | Trustee, with prior permission of the competent authority; EO where income exceeds ₹10 lakh |
| Punish office-holders and servants | S.37 | Trustee; EO where income exceeds ₹10 lakh |
| Act when trustee or EO fails to punish | S.38 | Commissioner, DC or AC |
| Transfer office-holders and servants between institutions | S.39 | Commissioner (anywhere); DC or AC (within his area) |
Who controls by Section 6 class (budgets and audit, for link).
- Budgets go to the Commissioner for 6(a) and 6(d), the DC for 6(b), the AC for 6(c) (S.57; details in the temple-finance notes).
- Audit reports go to the Commissioner for 6(a), 6(d), 6(e); the DC for 6(b); the AC for 6(c) (S.59).
Common traps
- ✗ "6(a) means income above ₹25 lakh." ✓ That is the Act's printed figure; under G.O.Ms.No.268 (2024) 6(a) is ₹50 lakh and above, 6(b) ₹15–50 lakh, 6(c) below ₹15 lakh.
- ✗ "Mutts are under the Deputy Commissioner." ✓ 6(d) mutts and 6(e) dharmadayams are under the Commissioner, whatever their income.
- ✗ "The Regional Joint Commissioner transfers EOs." ✓ The Commissioner does (2026 key).
- ✗ "The EO draws his own salary." ✓ The Assistant Commissioner is the drawing and disbursing officer.
- ✗ "The Commissioner appoints the Deputy Commissioners." ✓ The Government appoints all departmental officers under S.3.
- ✗ "The Commissioner divides the State into regions on his own." ✓ Only with the Government's prior approval (S.5).
- ✗ "Any officer may inspect a temple." ✓ The inspecting officer entering a religious institution must be a Hindu (S.12).
Quick revision
- Government → Commissioner → Addl. Commissioner → RJC → DC → AC → EO.
- S.3: Government appoints all officers; all Hindus; pay recovered from the EAF.
- S.5: regions (RJC), divisions (DC), sub-divisions (AC), with Government approval.
- S.6 lists: 6(a) Commissioner, 6(b) DC, 6(c) AC, 6(d) mutts and 6(e) dharmadayams Commissioner.
- G.O.Ms.No.268 (12-11-2024): ₹50 lakh+ / ₹15–50 lakh / below ₹15 lakh.
- Commissioner appoints Grades I–III, groups institutions, transfers EOs.
- Government posts RJC as EO; Commissioner posts DC or AC.
- AC draws and disburses EO salaries.
- Quota for institution employees: 20% (Grades I, II), 40% (Grade III).
- Above ₹10 lakh the EO appoints (S.35) and punishes (S.37) staff; S.39 transfers by Commissioner, DC or AC.
Go deeper: Deeper (beyond what APPSC Paper I usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
- Why income decides control. The 1987 design gives the biggest temples to the highest officer and keeps village temples with the local AC, so that inspection, budgets and boards match the money involved. As temple incomes rose, the 2024 G.O. lifted the slabs so that mid-sized temples did not crowd the Commissioner's list.
- Old and new figures side by side. Before Act 33 of 2007 the slabs were ₹5 lakh and ₹50,000; Act 33 of 2007 made them ₹25 lakh and ₹2 lakh; G.O.Ms.No.268 (2024) made them ₹50 lakh and ₹15 lakh. Section 15 (board size) and Section 29 (EO) carry their own figures and were not changed by the G.O.
- Discipline of EOs. As Government servants, EOs fall under the State's civil services conduct and disciplinary rules; the Commissioner, as appointing authority, is the usual disciplinary authority. APPSC deleted its 2026 questions on which officer sanctions an EO's leave, so expect no leave-sanction items.
- The Commissioner as a corporation sole means the office, not the person, owns rights and is sued: a change of Commissioner does not affect pending cases.
Practise this topic. Questions on EO grades, appointing and service authorities, with answers explained.
All Executive Officers and the Endowments Act notes · APPSC Paper I syllabus · APPSC Paper I Mock 1 with answers · Start free
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