NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said vault ‘B’ of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple will not be opened as of now. It would be opened only after substantial work regarding the documentation and preservation of the huge valuables and jewellery unearthed from other vaults of the temple is completed.The Bench comprising Justice R V Raveendran and Justice A K Patnaik turned down the recommendation of the expert committee that the security of the shrine be handed over to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It directed the state government to provide foolproof security to the temple to protect its assets and valuables which are estimated to be worth more than `1.5 lakh crore.The Bench said the management of the temple would provide an amount of `25 lakh per year for preservation of the assets and security of the temple and the balance amount would be borne by the state government.No tender should be floated for private players for giving contract for preservation work of the assets. This work has to be done by the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KELTRON), it directed.The matter will be taken up by the apex court again after three months, the Bench added.It was on September 16 that the Bench reserved its verdict over the issue whether to open vault ‘B’ and over the security of the temple. During its last hearing, it said tradition and customs would be protected as far as possible in providing security to the temple.The apex court passed the orders on an application filed by Marthanda Varma and his family members challenging a Kerala High Court ruling of January 31, ordering a takeover of the assets and management of the shrine by the state.
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