'Can't pay `11.7 crore to Kerala government due to Covid-19 crisis'

New Delhi: Administrative committee of Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday informed the Supreme Court that it is unable to pay Rs 11.7 crore to the Kerala government due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The committee has to reimburse the amount to the state for security and maintenance-related expenses.

The committee further said there had been a severe impact on donations due to pandemic, and sought more time to pay the amount. The said committee was formed by the court in July last year to look after temple-related affairs till arrangements are made by the former royal family of Travancore, as reported by NDTV.

"Let the (Kerala) government consider the request," a two-judge bench of Justices UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra said, while making it clear that all its earlier orders in the matter had been followed.

The court also said that it will examine the audit report of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in mid-September.

In July last year, the Supreme Court reversed the 2011 Kerala High Court judgement after they upheld the rights of the former royal family to run the administration of the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The temple was earlier controlled by the state government after the Kerala High Court decision.

The tiff around the maintenance and legal rights of the historic temple has been going on for years.

The famed Lord Padmanabha Swamy temple re-opened on August 26 after remained closed for several months due to coronavirus.