Who is the owner of the property of religion?

While registering a piece of landed property in the name of a diety of a branch organisation, a Marfatdar was named ( as per rules) who happened to be the Secretary, living 200 kms away, of the Central Organisation that controls branch organisations. For above 50 years, the place was being used by the managing committee of the branch organisation for Puja and religious activities as per rules of the Central organisation. Now that the Secretary (i.e. the Marfatdar) is dead, can his legal heirs have a claim over the property? Can they sell it or mandate to handover it to a breakaway group of the branch ? For information, the legal heirs are showing allegiance to a breakaway group of the central organisation and some of the members of the branch are also expressing similar inclinations. But the majority are still with the old organisation - both at the branch and the centre.