The Supreme Court on Friday appointed retired Kerala HC Judge Justice CN Ramachandran Nair to prepare an inventory of the sacred gold ornaments of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala temple and report same to the SC.

The Supreme Court on Friday appointed retired Kerala HC Judge Justice CN Ramachandran Nair to prepare an inventory of the sacred gold ornaments of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala temple and report same to the SC. 

The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice N V Ramana in the appeal filed by Revathi Nal P Ramavarma Raja, member of ersthwhile royal family of Pandalam.

The bench, also consisting of Justices Ajay Rastogi and V Ramasubramanian, said that the Justice Ramachandran Nair can avail the help of a jeweller for the preparation of inventory.

The Court also urged KK Venugopal, Attorney General, to endeavour to bring settlement in the dispute between the clans of the Pandalam family.

The bench also sought the opinion of the Kerala Government regarding means for safe custody of the ornaments.

Yesterday, Justice Ramana had expressed the need for having a mechanism for protecting the sacred ornaments of the deity.

Senior Advocate K Radhakrishnan, appearing for the appellants, had submitted that the gold ornaments belong to the Pandalam family and not the temple. As per customary practice, the gold ornaments are taken every year once from the family to the temple from the family for being worn by the deity, he had said.

The members of Pandalam family has approached the SC seeking a separate and special mechanism for the administration of Sabarimala temple, which is at present under the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The High Court had dismissed their pleas in 2006.

(Story to be updated after receiving copy of the order)