The appointment of former Kerala Chief Secretary K Jayakumar as the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president has got into a legal tangle. Jayakumar’s former colleague, IAS officer B Ashok, has moved the Thiruvananthapuram district court seeking his disqualification on the ground that Jayakumar’s appointment violates Section 7(iii) of the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act.
The petition says that any person holding an office of profit under the government and drawing a government salary is liable for disqualification from serving on the Board.
Ashok contends in his petition that Jayakumar is still continuing as Director of the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), which is a salaried role. Ashok claims to have documentary evidence to support his claim. The petition makes a damaging allegation by saying that his appointment risks making the TDB subservient to government control, harming the interests of Hindus and Sabarimala devotees.
It should be recalled that he was appointed as one of the three members of the TDB with effect from November 14 and was subsequently nominated as its president. Jayakumar had been sworn in on November 15.
The petitioner further argues that the TDB is an autonomous body and that the disqualification provisions exist to safeguard this autonomy. Ashok contends that appointing a legally disqualified candidate undermines the independent functioning of the Board.
After admitting the petition, the district court has issued notices to Jayakumar and others directing them to appear before it on January 15, 2026.
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