Travancore royal family contests temple report

NEW DELHI: The Travancore royal family, which has been managing the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala, has questioned the correctness of Amicus Curiae (court’s friend) senior advocate Gopal Subramanium’s report.

The Supreme Court is hearing the royal family’s petition challenging a 2011 order of the Kerala high court that said they had no hereditary right to manage the temple.

The HC had also ordered the state authorities to take over the shrine’s administration.

In their application the royal family members said they were intervening to “seek vindication of their family’s honour”.

Assailing the report for levelling “various cruel and baseless allegations”, they also said the amicus curiae and the parties to the dispute should maintain restraint while interacting with the media.

The royal family alleged that there was an attempt was being made “to defame, dishonour and discredit the family in order to dissociate them from the administration of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.”

It lamented that “without any basis whatsoever, the family is being accused of theft, violent and heinous crimes, including a hand in murder, collusion with the state of Kerala, obstruction of justice, and scant regard for this Honourable Court.”

The “graphic description of the temple complex” revealing every nook and corner of the physical structure of the temple by drawing up blueprints etc has caused serious security concern, the royal family stated.

The SC had in April expressed concern over senior Subramanium’s report over the poor conditions at the temple.