Supreme Court upholds rights of Travancore royal family in administration of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the rights of the Travancore Royal family as shebait in one of the country's richest temples, Shree Padmanabhaswamy in Thiruvananthapuram.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit and Indu Malhotra ordered that a committee under district judge and comprising other members, only Hindus, would oversee the administration as an interim measure. It said the committee would decide on the opening of Kallara B (vault), believed to contain some mystical energy.

Pronouncing operative parts of the judgement, the court said the death of the ruler who signed the covenant does not affect the shebait (maintenance and management) right of the Travancore Royal family.

The judgement in the matter was reserved on April 10, 2019, after about nine years of hearing.

The controversy over the administration and management of the historic temple has been pending in the apex court since 2011 in the wake of charges of financial irregularities.

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore Royal family led by Shri Marthanda Varma who had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu before the 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