A chemical leak as a result of the accident was contained, authorities said
world5 days ago
“The royal family is not claiming anything. No part belongs to the family,” said K.K. Venugopal, a lawyer representing the descendants of the erstwhile rulers of the Travancore princely state in the southern state of Kerala.
Venugopal made the statement in the Supreme Court in New Delhi, which is driving efforts to establish ownership of the sacks of gold, precious stones and jewellery found last week at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Venugopal said the head of the Travancore family, Marthanda Varma, believed the stunning treasure “should be used judiciously for religious and social purposes” such as building hospitals and schools.
“The artifacts may be kept in a museum independent of the temple,” he added.
The temple, dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple’s vaults ever since.
All but one of the vaults have been opened, with the value of the haul estimated at between 500 billion and one trillion rupees ($11-22 billion).
The discoveries catapulted the Hindu shrine, renowned for its intricate sculptures, into the league of India’s richest temples.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
On Friday, the Supreme Court directed that the opening of the final vault be deferred and asked for suggestions from the state government and Varma’s family on how the treasure should be secured and preserved.
Supreme Court bars opening of temple’s sixth vault
The Supreme Court on Friday said that the sixth vault of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala will not be opened till the treasure recovered so far is properly documented.
An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik said that the the sixth vault (Kallara B) will not be opened till the treasure recovered from Kallara A is videographed, photographed and its inventory is prepared.
The court directed that the Kallara A which has been resealed, will not be reopened till arrangements are made for its videography and photography and a curator is appointed to assess the antiquity and valuation of its treasure.
The court also took note of a statement by former prince of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, Sree Marthanda Varma, who is the chief trustee of the temple that the former royal family has no claim over any part of the treasure found in the temple.
The temple belongs to the public and the treasure belongs to the temple deity, Varma’s counsel K.K. Venugopal added.
The court also noted the statement of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that the government has no claim over the treasure.
The Supreme Court had appointed a seven-member committee in May, to open the vaults of the temple, which led to the discovery of huge treasure estimated to be around Rs.1 lakh crore.
There are six vaults in the temple, five of which have been opened.
A chemical leak as a result of the accident was contained, authorities said
world5 days ago
The Republican nominee falsely said at the September 10 debate with Democrat Kamala Harris that the Central Park Five had killed a person and pleaded guilty
world6 days ago
The decision to bar Israeli firms is the latest incident in a row fuelled by the Macron government's unease over Israel's conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon
world1 week ago
The strike began September 13 in a dispute over pay and other compensation issues
world1 week ago
India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for nearly half of the 1.1 billion poor people
world1 week ago
The action targets three individuals linked to Hezbollah's finance arm and four Lebanon-based firms, according to Treasury Department statement
world1 week ago
South Africa also made it to the last four from Group B while England were eliminated from the competition
world1 week ago
The secretaries' letter outlined specific steps Israel must take within 30 days, including enabling a minimum of 350 trucks to enter Gaza per day, and instituting pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery
world1 week ago