Kapadam Sangalappa Vs. Kamatam Sangalappa [11/11/2025]

[Civil Appeal Nos. 281-282 of 2015]. The present Appeals arise from a long-standing and deeply rooted dispute between two sections of Kuruba community in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh i.e., the Kapadam families of Gungulakunta village and the Kamatam families of Yerrayapalli village. The controversy, extending over several decades, centers upon the performance of religious rituals and the custody of idols and paraphernalia associated with the deity Lord Sangalappa Swamy, who is the common deity worshipped by both the sects. The litigation traces back nearly a century. The first in the series of suits was O.S. No.486 of 1927 filed before the District Munsif Court, Anantapur by members of the Kamatam (respondents herein) sect of Yerrayapalli, seeking custody of pooja articles and religious paraphernalia relating to Lord Sangalappa Swamy, which included items such as bronze horses, idols of Lord Sangalappa Swamy, and other articles of worship.