Padmanabha swamy temple belongs to travencore royal family only

[VenkyBabu]

[Sachin200]

Nice thing , Kerala cm & politicians  Ami cheyaru 

[Kool_SRG]

Moment of Joy & Elation for the Royal family ,can see it in their  eyes...

[Kool_SRG]

Padmanabha Swamy Temple to be managed by ex-royal family, rules Supreme Court

The temple shot into limelight after the top court in May 2011 ordered a detailed inventory of the articles in the temple vaults which had long rumored to be holding immense riches.

The Supreme Court on Monday sided with the erstwhile Travancore Royal family for the administration and control of the Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala. Settling the long-running dispute, the top court overturned the January 2011 judgment of the Kerala high court which had ruled that the state government should take over the control of the temple from a trust headed by the former royal family.

“Great God’s will prevailed. Will say more about it after going through the whole verdict,” said Princess Gowri Lakshmibai of the erstwhile Travancore royal family soon after the judgment.

Devotees came out in large numbers and distributed sweets before the sixth century temple, situated in the heart of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Some devotees were even seen crying before the temple. The Kerala state government welcomed the verdict.

“We are bound to go by the verdict. We have always followed the apex court order in letter and spirit,” said state Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran.

 

The temple shot into limelight after the top court in May 2011 ordered a detailed inventory of the articles in the temple vaults which had long rumoured to be holding immense riches.

When five its six vaults, known as ‘Kallara’ in Malayalam, were opened in line with the court order, vast treasure of gold and other priceless objects were discovered. It was estimated that the intrinsic value of the treasure amounted to more than Rs 90,000 crore. One of the vaults, Kallara B could not be opened and the opening of the same was later kept in abeyance by the apex court.

In August 2012, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium was appointed Amicus Curiae (friend of the court) by the Supreme Court. Subramanium submitted a voluminous report before the court in April 2014 alleging serious mismanagement of the temple by the trust and indicting the royal family on various counts.

 

The temple was under the control of a trust headed by the ex-royals’ family until April 2014 when the top court by way of a crucial interim order handed over its management to a four-member administrative committee headed by a district judge.

The legal genesis of the dispute lies in the agreement of accession (agreement) signed between the Kings of Travancore with the Government of India in 1949 by which the princely state of Travancore became a part of the Indian Union.

Article VII of the agreement provided that administration of the Padmanabha Swamy temple shall be conducted, subject to the control and supervision of the ruler of Travancore, by an executive officer appointed by the ruler.

 

 

[Kool_SRG]

Explained: The Padmanabhaswamy temple case and what verdict means for Travancore royal family

Padmanabhaswamy temple verdict: The central legal question was whether Utradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the younger brother of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last Ruler of Travancore, could claim to be the "Ruler of Travancore" after the death of the ruler in 1991.

 

Reversing the 2011 Kerala High Court decision, the Supreme Court Monday upheld the right of the Travancore royal family to manage the property of deity at Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The court said that, as per customary law, the shebait rights (right to manage the financial affairs of the deity) survive with the members of the family even after the death of the last ruler. The ruling ends the legal battle the temple and members of the royal family have fought with the government for decades over control of one of the richest temples in the world.

What is the case about?

The central legal question was whether Utradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the younger brother of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last Ruler of Travancore, could claim to be the “Ruler of Travancore” after the death of the ruler in 1991. The court examined this claim within the limited meaning of that term according to the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950 to claim ownership, control and management of the ancient Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

Who had the ownership, control and management of the Padmanabhaswamy temple before 1991?

All the temples which were under the control and management of the erstwhile Princely States of Travancore and Cochin were under the control of the Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Boards before 1947. However, as per the Instrument of Accession signed between the princely states and the Government of India, since 1949, the administration of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple was “vested in trust” in the Ruler of Travancore. The state of Kerala was carved out in 1956 but the temple continued to be managed by the erstwhile royals.

 

In 1971, privy purses to the former royals were abolished through a constitutional amendment stripping their entitlements and privileges. The move was upheld in court in 1993 and the last ruler of Travancore who died during the pendency of this case continued to manage the affairs of the temple till then.

In 1991, when the last ruler’s brother took over the temple management, it created a furore among devotees who moved the courts leading to a long-drawn legal battle. The government joined in; supporting the claims of the petitioner that Marthanda Varma had no legal right to claim the control or management of the temple.

Is the temple the property of the royal family?

No. The character of the temple was always recognised as a public institution governed by a statute. The argument of the royal family is that the temple management would vest with them for perpetuity, as per custom. Even though the last ruler Balarama Varma executed a detailed will bequeathing his personal properties, he had not included the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple as his personal property or dealt with it in his will.

What about the Padmanabhaswamy temple’s property, including the riches in the vaults?

A consequence of who has administrative rights over the temple is whether the vaults of the temple will be opened. In 2007, Marthanda Varma claimed that the treasures of the temple were the family property of the royals. Several suits were filed objecting to this claim and a lower court in Kerala passed an injunction against the opening of the vaults.

The Kerala High Court in the 2011 ruling passed an order that a board be constituted to manage the affairs of the temple, ruling against the royal family. The appeal against this verdict was filed by the royal family immediately and the SC had stayed the HC verdict.

By appointing two amicus curiae- senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam and former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai to prepare an inventory of items in the vaults. While five vaults were opened of the six, vault B was not opened. The royal family had claimed that a mythical curse is associated with the opening of vault B.

What impact would this ruling have?

Since 2011, the process of opening the vaults has led to the discovery of treasures within the Padmanabhaswamy temple, prompting a debate on who owns temple property and how it should be regulated. Despite being a secular country that separates religion from the affairs of the state, Hindu temples, its assets are governed through statutory laws and boards heavily controlled by state governments. This system came into being mainly through the development of a legal framework to outlaw untouchability by treating temples as public land; it has resulted in many legal battles.

[VenkyBabu]

3 minutes ago, Sachin200 said:

Nice thing , Kerala cm & politicians  Ami cheyaru 

 

2 minutes ago, Kool_SRG said:

Moment of Joy & Elation for the Royal can see it in their  eyes...

Welcoming thing. Lekunte state govts fingering ekkuva avthundhi . 

[VenkyBabu]

[VenkyBabu]

 

[ring_master]

90K crores anta...ee labbe gaalu em panikochedi chestaara emana....inka royal families anta fcuking strip them of their titles