Ramaswami, J.

1. In this case the petitioner Sree Bhabaprita-nanda Ojha has moved this Court for a writ in the nature of certiorari against respondents 1 and 2 for calling up and quashing the proceedings started against the petitioner under the Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act (Bihar Act I of 1951).

2. The petitioner is the High Priest of a temple which is well-known as Baidyanath Dham and which is situated" in the town of Deoghar in the district of Santal Parganas. The history of the temple is lost in the mist of antiquity. According to Hindu tradition, the temple was built in "Treta Yuga" the age of the events narrated in the Ramayana. The popular belief is that the temple was established by Ravana, the King of Demons. It appears that in the year 1791 the ancestor of the petitioners Sree Ramdutta Jha executed an engagement with the then Collector Mr. C. Keating on behalf of the British Government. This engagement is dated 19-9-1791 and since that date the family of the petitioner is managing the affairs of the temple including the puja and other temple ceremonies. The properties of the temple are lying mostly in the State of Bihar but there are some properties located in