Communist govts want to take over temples because of income, says judge that gave verdict in Padmanabhaswamy temple case

NEW DELHI: Former Supreme Court Justice Indu Malhotra revealed that communist governments tried to take control of Hindu temples and aimed at temple revenue. She says this in a video circulating on social media. In the video, it is suggested that Justice Indu Malhotra told a group of people that he and Justice UU Lalit (current Supreme Court Chief Justice) had blocked such an attempt in the Padmanabhaswamy temple case.

'Communist governments want to take over Hindu temples because of their income. Their problem is income. They have taken over only Hindu temples everywhere. So Lalit and I said, we will not allow this.' Justice Indu Malhotra says in the speech.

In July 2020, the Supreme Court had issued an order that the Travancore royal family has the right to maintain and manage the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple. The bench consisted of current Chief Justice UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra. Indu Malhotra made a speech referring to this verdict. The Travancore royal family had approached the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict in 2011 granting the temple rights to the state government. Then this judgment was made.

It was clear in the court ruling that the royal family's right to the temple would not be lost with the death of Chithira Thirunal Balaramavarma, who had signed with the central government in 1949. Later, the court also appointed a five-member administrative committee for the management of the temple. Indu Malhotra, who was the only woman in the five-judge bench that heard the case in the Sabarimala women's entry verdict, said that everyone has the right to practice rituals beyond reason.