The Indian Supreme Court has said that a family, not the local Government, are the rightful controllers of a Hindu temple to Vishnu that contains £16 billion of diamonds and jewels inside. Why? Well, it's a bit complicated and is the fault of some British judges in the 1860s. https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1282732886110732294
In 1869, and 1875, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London ruled Hindu gods had special status. They were to be treated as infants who could sue and be sued, but had to be represented by human trustees. The result? Court cases waged between gods and local councils.
The precedent was later firmed up in 1925, again by the Privy Council. The idols of gods in temples were "children who would never grow up." Sometimes, the gods even sue each other.
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