Kerala Govt Says It Will Implement SC Decision on Padmabha Swamy Temple, Royal Family Welcomes Verdict

Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Monday the state government respects the apex court judgement upholding rights of the Travancore royal family in the administration of the Padmanabha Swamy temple here and will implement it.

"The state government welcomes the apex court order. We still need to analyse the Supreme Court order. The detailed order is yet to come. We will implement the Supreme Court verdict," Surendran told the media.

The government respects the verdict, he said. Some people near the temple, apparently overjoyed at the verdict, were seen distributing sweets. Upholding the rights of the Travancore Royal family in the temple's administration, the apex court had on Monday set aside the 2011 verdict of the Kerala High Court which had directed the state government to set up a trust to take control of the management and assets of the famed temple, considered one of the richest shrines in the country.

Welcoming the verdict, the Travancore Royal family said they were happy with the judgement. In a message, the Royal family said,"We regard today's Supreme Court verdict as the blessing of Padmanabha Swamy not just for the family, but for all his devotees."

"We pray for his continued benevolence on all humanity to keep us all safe and well. Thank you all who stood by us in these difficult years. God bless you", a senior member of the Royal family Pooyam Tirunal Gowri Parvati Bayi said.

A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit said that as an interim measure, the District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram will head an administrative committee to manage the affairs of the temple.

The top court delivered the verdict on a batch of appeals, including the one filed by the legal representatives of the Travancore royal family, challenging the January 31, 2011 verdict of the 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.