Govt will abide by SC order in temple case: Chandy

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said the state government would abide by the Supreme Court order in the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple case, which proposed a five-member panel headed by the district judge to manage the temple.

Chandy, however, made it clear that the tendency of insulting the Travancore Royal family by certain quarters in the light of the recent developments was deplorable.

"The government has no anxiety over the Supreme Court order. We will abide by that," he told reporters when his reaction was sought on the court order.

Chandy, however, took exception to certain quarters heaping insult on the Travancore royal family based on mere "hearsay".

"The priceless treasures preserved in the vaults of the temple is a symbol of the faith and commitment of the royal house. We cannot accept insulting the family," he said.

CPI(M) stalwart and state opposition leader V S Achuthanandan welcomed the verdict.

The nonagenarian leader, who has often spoken out against alleged irregularities in management of the temple and its immense treasures, said the order was a befitting reply to those who ran down the report of the Amicus Curiae in the case.

Striking a different note, the state unit of BJP voiced reservation over keeping the royal family out of the administration.

BJP state president V Muraleedharan, however, expressed relief over the order, which refrained from entrusting the temple administration entirely to the government.

Meanwhile, IAS officer K N Satheesh, suggested by the Apex Court as Executive Officer of the temple under the new set-up, said he considered the assignment as an opportunity to do good things.

Satheesh, now director of higher education and who had served as Thiruvananthapuram District Collector earlier, said he would pray for divine blessings to carry out the duties vested on him in an effective manner.