History to custom, SC upholds rights of former royals to Kerala temple
(WorldNews India)

The Supreme Court Monday upheld the rights of the erstwhile royals of the princely state of Travancore in the administration of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The ruling came on an appeal by the legal heirs of Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the younger brother of the last ruler, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, challenging the January 31, 2011, judgment of the Kerala High Court, which had directed the state government to set up a trust to control the management and assets of the temple — one of the richest in the country. There were other writ petitions too in the matter before the Supreme Court. A Bench of Justices U U Lalit and Indu Malhotra said “tested...