Kerala: IAS officer B Ashok seeks disqualification of K Jayakumar as TDB president, moves HC
Mr Ashok argues in the court that the appointment violates Section 7(iii) of the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, which disqualifies any person holding an office of profit under the government and drawing a government salary from serving on the Board.
Ernakulam: Challenging the recent appointment of K Jayakumar as Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, Kerala IAS officer Ashok has moved the Thiruvananthapuram District Court.
In his petition, Mr Ashok submits that Jayakumar IAS is currently serving as Director of the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), a position to which he was appointed by the Kerala government and which is a salaried role. The petition states that Jayakumar continued to hold this post at the time of his nomination, oath-taking, assumption of charge, and thereafter, and includes documentary evidence supporting the claim.
Mr Ashok argues in the court that the appointment violates Section 7(iii) of the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, which disqualifies any person holding an office of profit under the government and drawing a government salary from serving on the Board.
The petition stresses that the Travancore Devaswom Board is intended to function as an autonomous body and that the disqualification provisions under Section 7 exist to safeguard this autonomy. It also notes that the law was amended in the past to transfer the power of selection from Hindu MLAs to Hindu ministers, extending the decision-making power even to minority ministers in the cabinet. Appointing a legally disqualified candidate, the plea argues, undermines the independent functioning of the Board.
According to the petition, Ashok states that powers under Section 8(2) must be exercised urgently, asserting that Jayakumar has received a series of government appointments after superannuation—from Vice Chancellor in 2012, to Director of IMG in 2018, and now as Devaswom Board President in 2025—in violation of eligibility criteria. The petition alleges that the appointment risks making the Board subservient to government control and harming the interests of Hindus and Sabarimala devotees.
Ashok further argues that Jayakumar’s role as Director of IMG involves a clear master-servant relationship under the disciplinary control of the government, and that he is ineligible even to hold the post at IMG, having crossed the prescribed age limit of 60 years. He contends that Jayakumar, now 73, has been functioning illegitimately in the post since June 2018, contrary to the Institute’s Memorandum of Association (MoA), which limits tenure and age eligibility for directors. The plea describes the current appointment to the Devaswom Board as a third successive illegal appointment.
The Kerala government appointed Jayakumar as one of the three members of the Travancore Devaswom Board with effect from November 14, and subsequently nominated him as President. Jayakumar, former Chief Secretary of Kerala and the first Vice-Chancellor of Malayalam University, who also has significant administrative experience related to Sabarimala, was sworn in on November 15 amid ongoing controversies surrounding the shrine, including the gold theft investigation.
Government will handle the matter: Jayakumar
Meanwhile, K Jayakumar responded to the petition, stating that the challenge is aimed at the state and that it is for the government to reply. "The petition questions the government’s decision, and the government will respond through its own mechanism. I am serving as the President of the Travancore Devaswom Board under a government order. I continue at IMG, but I do not draw salaries from both places. I am not receiving any remuneration from the Devaswom Board,” he said.