SC reserves orders on Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure trove

The Supreme Court today reserved its interim orders on the question of permitting inventory, videography and providing fool proof security to the estimated over Rs 1.50 lakh crore wealth unearthed from chambers of the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala.

A bench of justices RV Raveendran and AK Patnaik felt that the massive wealth was perhaps at a "risk" in view of the widespread publicity given about it in the media.

The apex court took on record the affidavit filed by the state government and various other parties giving their suggestions for proper maintenance and upkeep of the temple. Significantly, the Kerala government asserted that the entire wealth found at the shrine belonged exclusively to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and no body can lay claim on it.

The state government said that it has put in place a security apparatus with an Additional Director General of Police-rank officer monitoring the situation through a 24-hour control room set up for the purpose. It was spending Rs 1 crore on security measures every month.