The Supreme Court was on Friday informed the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is unable to pay Rs 11.7 crore to the Kerala Government due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The temple’s temporary administration committee, which has to reimburse the amount to the state for security and maintenance-related expenses, informed about the inability to pay the state government to the apex court.
The committee, which was constituted in July last year to manage temple affairs till arrangements are made by the former royal family of Travancore, sought additional time to pay the amount while stating the donations are affected due to the global pandemic.
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Stating it would not pass an order at this time, the apex court said: “Let the government consider the request.”
A two-judge bench of Justices UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra, which heard the case, also said it will examine the audit report of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in mid-September.
The Supreme Court had in July last year set aside a Kerala High Court verdict and upheld the right of the royal family to manage the temple.
The state government-controlled the temple, which re-opened on August 26 after remaining closed for several months due to the coronavirus, after the Kerala High Court’s decision.