Supreme Court Says Temple Wealth Must Be Used Only For Deity’s Interests

On Friday, the Supreme Court made it clear that money belonging to temples cannot be diverted to help struggling cooperative banks.

The judges stated that such funds are the property of the deity and must be handled solely for the temple’s benefit.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, delivered the observation while rejecting appeals filed by cooperative banks in Kerala.

The banks had challenged a Kerala HC order directing them to return the fixed deposits held by Thirunelly Temple Devaswom. The order required that the money be released without delay.

The Court said it would not interfere with the High Court’s ruling. It stressed that contributions offered by devotees must be safeguarded and used strictly for temple-related purposes.

It further added that temple money could not be turned into a means for the financial survival of any bank.

“You want to use the temple money to save the bank? Temple money, first of all, belongs to the deity,” the Bench stated while dismissing the petitions.

The Court upheld the direction that the deposits be shifted to nationalised banks once matured.

The cooperative banks argued that the timeline set by the High Court was too short and difficult to meet.

However, the Supreme Court noted that banks should earn public trust on their own and must release deposits promptly once they mature.

Although the petitions were dismissed, the banks have been given the option to approach the Kerala High Court for more time to complete the repayment process.

Case Background

The cases were filed by Mananthawady Co-operative Urban Society Ltd and Thirunelly Service Co-operative Bank Ltd.

The Kerala High Court earlier ruled that temples under the Malabar Devaswom Board cannot keep funds with cooperative societies. Doing so would violate official circulars.

The High Court pointed out that temples are required to place their deposits only in authorised banks or financial institutions. It also directed that funds be withdrawn from cooperative banks as soon as they reach maturity.