New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Ahead of the commencement of hearings before a nine-judge Constitution Bench in the Sabarimala review matter, written submissions filed on behalf of the Travancore Devaswom Board have urged the Supreme Court to adopt a “community-centric and subjective” understanding of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution, cautioning against judicial reinterpretation of religious beliefs and practices.The submissions, settled by senior advocate Dr Abhishek Singhvi, conten…
Latest Travancore Devaswom Board News & Updates
Kochi, March 5 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Thursday flagged discrepancies in the accounts related to the Global Ayyappa Sangamam and directed the auditor to submit a detailed report within ten days.The issue came up during the court’s examination of alleged financial irregularities connected with the event.During the hearing, the auditor informed the court that inconsistencies had been detected in the financial statements submitted in connection with the programme.Taking note of the submis…
Thiruvananthapuram, March 2 (IANS) With Assembly elections on the horizon, the Left government-controlled Travancore Devaswom Board on Monday has dramatically reversed its position on the contentious issue of women’s entry at Sabarimala temple, signalling a fresh political turn in one of Kerala’s most polarising debates.Board President K. Jayakumar told reporters that the Devaswom Board would withdraw its earlier affidavit supporting the entry of women of menstruating age and instead argue t…
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 (IANS) The controversy surrounding the Global Ayyappa Meet in Kerala deepened on Tuesday after the audit report flagged serious financial irregularities, prompting the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to initiate urgent corrective measures.With allegations of extravagance and possible corruption involving crores of rupees surfacing through the audit findings, TDB President K. Jayakumar stepped forward to defend the institution, terming the adverse observations as stemmi…
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 14 (IANS) The Travancore Devaswom Board on Saturday rejected allegations of financial irregularities in the conduct of the Global Ayyappa Meet held at Pamba in September last year, even as the Kerala High Court earlier this week came down heavily on lapses in financial accountability linked to the event. In a detailed statement, the Board termed recent media reports “baseless and misleading”, particularly claims that public funds were used to purchase a bed for Chief Mini…
Kochi, Feb 11 (IANS) The Kerala High Court has flagged serious discrepancies in the income and expenditure accounts of the Sabarimala Global Ayyappa Meet, observing that the irregularities prima facie point to “grave financial indiscipline” and directing the Travancore Devaswom Board to furnish a detailed explanation.The Sabarimala Global Ayyappa Meet was a one-day event held at Pamba in September last year.A Division Bench, while scrutinising the accounts, noted that construction contracts …
Kollam (Kerala), Feb 11 (IANS) A vigilance court in Kerala’s Kollam on Wednesday granted statutory bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President and Commissioner N. Vasu in the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case.The relief comes after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to file a charge sheet within 90 days of his arrest, a lapse that legally entitled the accused to default bail.Vasu, arrested on November 11, 2025, is the third accused in the alleged gold-plating irregulari…
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 11 (IANS) As the Kerala High Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Sabarimala gold theft case, has widened its lens to include the controversial Global Ayyappa Meet held at Pampa last year, it has left a few in the Pinarayi Vijayan government gasping for breath. In its submission linked to the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case, the SIT has made specific references to the Global Ayyappa Meet conducted during the tenure of P.S. Prasanth as Travan…
Kollam (Kerala), Feb 10 (IANS) The Kerala High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday strongly opposed the bail plea of jailed Sabarimala temple tantri Kantarar Rajeevar before the Kollam Vigilance Court, citing the accumulation of “huge and disproportionate wealth” and his alleged long-standing association with the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold heist case.Arguing that bail should not be granted “under any circumstances”, the SIT informed the court that the tantri had…
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2 (IANS) A fresh controversy has erupted at the Sabarimala temple, already under scrutiny in connection with the gold heist case, with a Devaswom Vigilance investigation finding that a film shoot was conducted in violation of restrictions at the holy shrine and its surroundings.According to an inquiry report submitted by Superintendent of Police, Devaswom Vigilance, Sunil Kumar, shooting for a feature film took place over multiple days at Pampa and nearby areas.The report…