Kolhapur: The Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti (PMDS), the managing body of Mahalaxmi temple on Sunday floated an advertisement for the recruitment of priests to carry out rituals at the temple on a regular basis.Priests belonging to the Hindu community, irrespective of caste and gender, will be appointed through the process initiated by the PMDS more than a year after the state legislature passed a law to appoint priests on a salary basis. At present, the priests are appointed through traditional priest families, to which the local activists and worshippers have an objection, which forced the government to bring a law. In June 2018, the PMDS had interviewed some candidates among the 55 applications for the position of a priest. The activists had called the process illegal, after which the PMDS had sought a clarification from the state legal department, which concluded that a fresh process through open advertisement must be done.Mahesh Jadhav, chairman of the PMDS said, “After consultation with the secretary of the state legal department, we have floated the advertisement. All those who applied last year are also eligible to apply. Irrespective of caste and gender, all Hindu’s qualifying the set criteria are eligible to apply. A panel of three members will be constituted with representatives of the PMDS as well as experts to scrutinize and interview the candidates.”As per the law, the interview process needs to be conducted through a selection committee of eleven members set up by a body of trustees. Activists fighting for priests from all castes stated that the body of trustees has not been formed yet and the new process initiated by the PMDS stands to be illegal this time as well.Subhash Desai, senior activist and thinker said, “Initiating the recruitment process is the authority of the body of trustees, which has not yet been formed. Last time also, the interviews were held without the body of trustees in place, which led to cancellation of the process. We expect that the recruitment should be done in a fair manner, which can only be ensured if the selection rules of the government are applied, such as 50% quota for women priests. The eligibility rules set by the PMDS will only help re-establish the traditional priesthood system, which we are opposing since a long time.”Applying candidates should have a degree or diploma from Vedic schools and should be above 18 years of age. The last date for the applications is February 12.

Stay updated with all the Latest Kolhapur headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.