Kerala IAS officer B Ashok moves court seeking disqualification of K Jayakumar as TDB president
In his petition, 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.
In his petition, 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.
In his petition, 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.
Kerala IAS officer Ashok has moved the Thiruvananthapuram District Court, challenging the recent appointment of K Jayakumar as President and member of the Travancore Devaswom Board. He argues 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.
In his petition, 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.
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.
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 District Court has admitted the petition and issued notices to the respondents — K Jayakumar IAS (Retd), Secretary of the Travancore Devaswom Board, Revenue (Devaswom) Secretary, Administrative Reforms Secretary, and Secretary of IMG — directing them to appear before the court on January 15, 2026.
Jayakumar's appointment as TDB president
The Kerala government’s decision to appoint Jayakumar as President of the TDB in November was widely viewed as an attempt to defuse the escalating controversy over the Sabarimala gold theft. With the local body elections and the 2026 Assembly polls nearing, the CPM-led government was under pressure to contain the issue, which had sparked unrest among devotees and the opposition. The judiciary was also closely monitoring developments, and the government believed that bringing in an experienced and widely respected bureaucrat would help restore confidence both in the courts and among believers.
Jayakumar was selected due to his long association with Sabarimala administration, having served as Devaswom Secretary, Chief Devaswom Commissioner, and chairperson of the High Court–appointed high-powered committee on Sabarimala.
The government had initially planned to grant an extension to incumbent president P S Prasanth, but the idea was dropped after the High Court severely criticised him and other board members in connection with the gold theft case.
Govt 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.
Jayakumar noted that the government has already indicated that a new appointment will be made soon. “I am holding the charge only temporarily until a successor is appointed. I do not see anything unlawful in this. The government will clarify the matter,” he added. He also clarified that his salary at IMG does not come from the state exchequer. “IMG is an autonomous institution, and the remuneration I receive is not paid by the state government,” Jayakumar said.