In Brief
The Supreme Court held that following the death of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last Ruler of Travancore, the younger brother and his successors could lawfully claim the position of trustee and manager of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The Court ruled that shebaitship (trusteeship) of the Temple is heritable property that devolves by succession and custom according to Hindu law. The Covenant of 1949 and the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act 1950 recognized the Ruler's existing rights as trustee, not in his official capacity as Ruler but as head of the royal family. This status survives even after the Constitution (Twenty Sixth Amendment) Act 1971 abolished privy purses and recognition of Rulers. The Court directed reconstitution of administrative committees while maintaining family management, and dismissed jurisdictional bars under Article 363.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.