The Supreme Court on Friday observed that temple money belonged to the deity and cannot be used to enrich cooperative banks. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the petitions filed by some cooperative banks in Kerala challenging a direction issued by the Kerala High Court to return the deposits the Thirunelly Temple Devaswom.

During the hearing, the bench asked what was wrong with the High Court's direction.

"You want to use the temple money to save the bank?What is wrong with directing that the temple money, instead of being in a cooperative bank which is breathing with great difficulty, should go to a healthy nationalised bank which can give maximum interest?" CJI Kant asked.

"Temple money, first of all, belongs to the deit

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