NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday said the Travancore Royal family has the right in the administrative affairs of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the capital city. The apex court said the present administrative committee chaired by the district judge will manage the affairs of the temple until a new panel takes over. The Supreme Court has accepted royal family’s plea against the high court verdict. A bench led by Justices U U Lalith and Indu Malhotra pronounced the verdict on the plea filed on issues like the role of the royal family in the administrative affairs of the temple, opening of B vault consisting of treasure, security of the temple etc.

Important points of SC verdict

• Royal family has right in administration of temple
• Non-Hindus should not be there in the administrative panel
• Permanent administrative panel can decide on opening of B vault
• Treaty signed by the king when Travancore merged with the Indian Union is still legitimate.
• Even if king dies, the right will be there
• District judge will chair the administrative body and he should be a Hindu

The case is related to a plea filed in the high court by former IPS officer T P Sunderajan on December 18 in 2009 demanding that the temple be taken over by the state government. The royal family had in May 2011 moved the Supreme Court questioning high court order passed in January 2011 to display everything in the museum including the ornaments kept in the vaults. Following that, the Supreme Court had frozen opening of A and B vaults.

Many panels monitored by the Supreme Court had tallied the ornaments of the temple. Security at the temple was increased and maintenance was done in the temple as per the recommendation of Gopal Subramanyam, the amicus curiae appointed by the Supreme Court. T P Sunderajan, one of the main petitioners and Marthanda Varma, who gave a case on behalf of the government had died during the nine-year-long argument and Justices Raveendran, A K Patnaik, R M Lodha, Kehar, T S Thakur and Bobde had changed.

Attorney General K K Venugopal had appeared for the royal family in the beginning of the case. Supreme Court lawyers Vipin Nair and P B Suresh appeared for the devotees. A bench led by U U Lalith and Indu Malhotra postponed pronouncing the verdict on April 10 in 2019 after hearing the final argument for 25 days.

Royal family argued in the SC
Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a private temple and this was the stand taken by the royal family in the high court. However, the royal family changed their stand when a plea was filed in the Supreme Court. The apex court decided to hear the pleas of the royal family on their stand that it is a public temple. The Travancore royal family argued in the court that they are servants of Lord Padmanabha (Padamanabha Dasas).

Proposal of government on administrative body
The state government handed over the recommendation of forming an eight-member administrative body to the Supreme Court. The government had recommended that Padmanabha Dasan will be a member of the administrative body. Hindu members of the cabinet will nominate five members. Among that, there will be a woman and a member from Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe. An employee of the devaswom will be nominated by the Hindu members of the cabinet. The main tantri will become an ex-officio member. Non-Hindu devotees will not be nominated in the administrative panel. The government had informed the apex court that government employee will not be nominated.