Royal family, devotees heave a sigh of relief

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Until next Thursday, peace will remain, worries could wait. With the Supreme Court telling the seven-member committee not to open the ‘B’ vault for the time being and the committee itself putting off  the next move till the day, the devotees and the Royal family could heave a sigh of relief. The time is now for the Royal family to think about its next move considering the directive of the Supreme Court to submit a detailed report on the rituals and customs followed by the temple. The Court has also asked for suggestions on the part of the Royal family over the issue of handling the treasure and on the security concerns it raises.The Court order has come in the wake of the complaint of the Royal family that videography and photography of articles inside the vaults are against the temple’s customs. According to sources, had the Royal family prepared its earlier affidavit to the Court with utmost care and sought the permission of the Court to conduct customary rituals in the temple before the opening of the vaults, the complaints that have now risen about it could have been avoided. So this time, it would require investment of some thinking before the Royal family submits its suggestions. On the Royal family’s heed, the Court has said that there should be no move to dilute the purity of the temple. The Royal family had also complained that many people were entering the vaults along with the seven-member committee which should be stopped. However, the fact remains that the stay of the Court is only till July 14. On that day, the earlier petition of the Royal family challenging the Kerala High Court order asking the State Government to take over the temple and its assets would also be taken up. But now that the state has made it clear that the treasure belongs to the temple and is about to submit its suggestions on the security aspects to be considered in the temple, the Royal family might not be expecting a major blow. Meanwhile, the devotees around the temple shared their relief on the issue. ‘’Let the dust thrown up by ‘A’ vault settle down, then the opening of ‘B’ could be thought of. The details of the rituals in the temple should be given to the Supreme Court, which could change a lot of things,’’ said a devotee and a member of the Anayoottu Samithi.