Can a priest (image for representational purposes, Photo: Scott Dexter/Wikipedia) serve as a trustee of the temple he/she works in? Certainly, stated a Bombay High Court bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawala and Akil Kureshi. "Representation of ... purohits and pujaris on the board of trustees may be necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of a temple,” reported The Times 
of India (ToI) dated August 27, 2019.
Advocates N. P. Dalvi, V. S. Talkute and Tanaji Mhatugade who argued on behalf of the petitioner priests stated that no embargo exists on the appointment of priests as trustees under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, stated legal website livelaw.in. On behalf of the state, P. G. Sawant and P. N. Diwan argued that a circular issued by the charity commissioner that barred pujaris from becoming temple trustees was issued in the public interest to improve the administration of trusts.
The High Court observed that when a similar issue of appointment of trustees had been raised over Trambakeshwar Devasthanam, the Supreme Court had upheld a previous decision of a single judge of the Bombay High Court which said "tungars, purohits and pujaris need to be represented on the board of trustees,” stated ToI.
"In the earlier judgment, Justices Kathawala and Kureshi said that the Court had ‘not only kept in mind the interest of the public but also the interest of the temple and taken a view that the appointment of representatives of... pujaris in the trust would not be in conflict with the interest of the trust only because they have an interest in the cash offerings, the consideration for the pujas or performance of the official puja in the temple,’” stated ToI.
There is no bar to priests serving as trustees at any fire temple, unless the trust deed forbids it.