The administrative committee of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala told the Supreme Court on Friday that it was unable to pay Rs 11...
The administrative committee of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala told the Supreme Court on Friday that it was unable to pay Rs 11.7 crore to the state government because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, reported NDTV. The temple needs to reimburse the state government for security and maintenance-related expenses.
The committee, one of two constituted by the court in July to manage temple affairs till arrangements are made by the former royal family of Travancore, said donations had been affected because of the pandemic, and sought additional time to pay the amount.
The court did not pass an order at the time. “Let the [Kerala] government consider the request,” a two-judge bench said, adding that the temple has followed all the previous court orders in the case. The court also said that the audit review of the temple can be taken up in mid-September.
The temple had reopened on August 26 amid restrictions after remaining closed to the public since the coronavirus-induced lockdown in March. It was temporarily closed again in October after 12 staff members, including 10 priests, tested positive for the coronavirus.
In July, the Supreme Court had upheld the rights of the Travancore royal family in the administration of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The court had...
