Top Court Confirms Ex-Royal Family's Rights In Running Of Kerala Temple

[timmy]

Top Court Confirms Ex-Royal Family's Rights In Running Of Kerala Temple

All IndiaEdited by Arun NairUpdated: July 13, 2020 11:57 am IST

 

 

 

New Delhi: 

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the rights of the former royal family in running the administration of the Kerala's Padmanabhaswamy temple, setting aside the 2011 verdict of the Kerala High Court that directed the state government to take control of the historic temple in state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The former royal family of Travancore, which used to head a trust that managed the temple, had filed an appeal after the Kerala High Court directed the state government to set up a trust to take control of management and assets of the temple.

A two judge bench headed by Justice UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra said that as an interim measure, the District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram will head an administrative committee to manage the affairs of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple - said to be one of the richest places of worship in the world.

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore Royal House which had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu before integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947.

ALSO READ

• Supreme Court Verdict On Opening Vault In Kerala Temple On Monday
• WhatsApp, Email, Fax Can Be Used For Summons, Notices: Supreme Court
• Top Court Notice To Centre, Kerala, 12 Other States Over Elephant's Death

The temple was under the control of a trust headed by the royal family until April 2014 when the top court handed over its management to a four-member administrative committee headed by a district judge.

While five of the six chambers inside the Thiruvananthapuram temple had been opened and inventories made by a court-appointed team, a vault called Kallara in Malayalam has been shut for years. The former royal family of Travancore, which used to head a trust that managed the temple, argues that opening the vault will bring misfortune because of a mythical curse.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/supreme-court-confirms-rights-of-former-travancore-royal-family-in-administration-of-keralas-sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple-2261726?pfrom=home-topscroll