SC upholds Travancore royal family’s rights in administration of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple

The Supreme Court, in a 300-page verdict, upheld the rights of Travancore royal family in the administration of Thiruvananthapuram's famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple  

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13) set aside the 2011 verdict of the Kerala high court which had directed the state government to set up a trust to take control of management and assets of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.

The apex court in a 300-page verdict upheld the rights of the Travancore royal family in the administration of the temple.

A bench headed by Justice UU Lalit said that as an interim measure, the District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram will head an administrative committee to manage the affairs of the temple.

The top court delivered the verdict on a batch of appeals, including the one filed by the legal representatives of the Travancore royal family, challenging the January 31, 2011, verdict of the high court in the matter.

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.

MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar was an intervening petitioner in the Padmanabhaswamy temple case.

He took to Twitter and wrote, "Even though I was not the main petitioner, I feel blessed that I cud be associated wth this epic battle to protect #LordPadmanabhaswamy n faith of Lacs of devotees from the grubby greedy hands of Communists🙏🏻 #OmNamoNarayana (sic)."