SC extends time for completion of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple's audit

The Supreme Court extended the time limit till August 31, 2022, for completion of the special auditing exercise of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Supreme Court Monday extended the time limit till August 31, 2022, for completion of the special auditing exercise of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple which expired on June 30, 2022.

A bench of Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat, and Sudhanshu Dhulia granted the extension after pleas were filed by the administrative committee and the advisory committee of the temple seeking additional time to complete the special audit.

The bench said, A communication has been received from District Judge (Chairman, administrative committee, Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple) and applications from the Administrative Committee and the Advisory Committee, seeking extension of time to comply with the direction regarding completion of special audit as directed in the judgement dated July 13, 2020.

It said that though the time frame up to June 30 has already expired, in the interest of justice, the court is extending the time till August 31, 2022. On February 2022, the top court extended the time till June 30, 2022, for the completion of the exercise of a special audit of the temple.

On July 13, 2020, the top court said the erstwhile royal family of Travancore has the management right over historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, one of the richest shrines, holding that the rule of heritability must get attached to a right of Shebait" of the temple.

The top court had allowed the appeal of the legal heirs of Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the younger brother of the last ruler, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, setting aside the Kerala High Court's 2011 verdict which had directed the state government to set up a trust to take control of management and assets of the temple.

The death of the earlier ruler of the Travancore family does not affect the right of ''Shebaitship'' (managing devotee) of Marthanda Varma and his legal heirs, the court had said.

The controversy over the administration and management of the historic temple was pending in the apex court for nearly a decade following charges of alleged financial irregularities.

Upholding the centuries-old administrative rights of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore over the historic Temple, the top court had decided on the way forward in managing the affairs of the 13th-century temple, which was rebuilt after a major fire had damaged it in 1686.

It had agreed to the proposals of the legal heirs of Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma on setting up the panels to manage the affairs of the temple.

The Composition of the Administrative Committee as suggested is broad-based and would not be loaded in favour or against the Trustee, it said, adding that the present interim panel and other panels, in which District Judges is the part, have conducted themselves quite well.

In our view, a minor change in the Administrative Committee suggested by the appellants in their Note is called for. Instead of a retired Indian Administrative Service Officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government of Kerala as the Chairperson of the Administrative Committee, in the interest of justice, the District Judge, Thiruvananthapuram shall be the Chairperson of the Administrative Committee, the apex court had said.

The top court had also listed out the work to be done by the Administrative and the Advisory Committees they shall do well to discharge all their functions including the performance of the worship of the deity, maintenance of its properties, diligently and in the best interest of the Temple, and provide adequate and requisite facilities to the worshippers.

All the income accruing to the Temple, as well as the offerings made by the worshippers, shall be expended in the following manner: (i) To improve the facilities for the worshippers; and (ii) For such religious and charitable purposes as the Advisory Committee may deem appropriate; and (iii) In investments that will fetch reasonable returns and ensure that the properties of the Temple are completely safe and secure.

(f) Recover and retrieve any property or funds of the Temple which have been put to misuse or have been in unauthorized occupation or misappropriated. (g) Shall order audit for the last 25 years as suggested by the learned Amicus Curiae, the judgement had said.

The audit shall be conducted by a firm of reputed Chartered Accountants and the Advisory Committee shall also consider what further steps need to be taken for the preservation of the Temple properties, both movable and immovable, it said.