SC upholds Travancore royal family's right for administration of Padmanabha Swamy Temple

New Delhi: In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the right of the Travancore royal family in administration of Thiruvananthapuram's historic Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, which is considered one of the richest temples in the country.

The apex court directed that the District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram should head the administrative committee to manage affairs of the temple.

The Supreme Court set aside the Kerala High Court's January 31, 2011 verdict which had asked the state government to set up a trust to take over the administration of the temple.

The top court said that death of the last ruler of royal family does not entitle the state government to take over the management of committee as law of escheat does not apply in this case and the management of the temple continues to vest in trust of the ruler of Travancore.

While making an interim arrangement to manage the affairs of the temple, the apex court said that it will remain in force till a fresh committee is set up and all the members of the committee must be Hindus.

The litigation over the administration and management of the historic temple has been pending in the apex court for the last nine years in the wake of charges of alleged financial irregularities.

The High Court on January 31, 2011, had ruled that after the demise of Travancore's last Maharaja, the temple was vested in the government. As there is no provision for the temple to be handed over to the next scion of the royal family, the government should take over the temple, the HC ruled.

Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma had approached the Supreme Court against the HC order. The apex court then stayed the HC order on May 2, 2011.

The top court had also directed that there shall be a detailed inventory of the articles, valuables, ornaments in the vaults (Kallaras).

On July 8, 2011, the apex court had said that “opening of kallara 'B' is to be kept in abeyance till further orders”.

In July 2017, the apex court had said it would examine the claims that one of the vaults the temple contained extraordinary treasure with 'mystical' energy.

It had passed a slew of directions including on the security of the treasures, auditing of accounts and repair of the deity.

However, the court ordered to prepare an inventory of the assets in the temple vaults. Gopal Subramaniam, who was appointed as amicus curiae, and former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai had submitted a report to the court on the temple administration and its assets.

The erstwhile Travancore Royals contended that even though privy purse and princely rule have ended, the personal privileges of the king have not ceased to exist. Though the temple was open to the public, the royal family had the right over the temple administration.

However, the state government contended that amicus curie and the former CAG had found irregularities in the temple administration. And that an administrative model similar to that of the Guruvayur Temple should be considered for the Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit and Indu Malhotra had on April 10 last year reserved its judgement on the pleas challenging the January 31, 2011 verdict of the Kerala 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.

Even after India's independence, the temple continued to be governed by a trust controlled by the erstwhile royal family for whom Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is their family deity.