Supreme Court has asked Kerala Government and Devaswom Board to give a reply to the petition submitted by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and BJP State Intellectual cell head TG Mohandas. The reply has to be filed within two weeks. The petition that questioned the mode of appointment in Devaswom Board will be considered two weeks later by the bench that includes Justice U U Lalit, R Subhash Reddy.
Travancore Devaswom Board had asked for four more weeks to file a reply. But when the petition was considered on Monday, the court asked to file a reply in two weeks.
Mohandas and Swamy challenged the Kerala High Court decision refusing to strike down Sections 4 (1) and 63 of the Travancore- Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950, which allow the legislature taking control over the administration and ritual
The petition points out that the appointment of board members is not through democratic means. It also says the current rule hurts the rights of devotees to be a part of such selection of board members.
Section 4 says“Constitution of the Travancore Devaswom Board-The Board referred to in Section 3 shall consist of three Hindu Members, two of whom shall be nominated by the Hindus among the Council of Ministers and one elected by the Hindus among the Council of Ministers and one elected by the Hindus among the members of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Kerala.
Section 63 reads as “Constitution of the Cochin Devaswom Board- The Board referred to in sub-section (1) of Section 62 shall consist of three Hindu members, two of whom shall be nominated by the Hindus among the Council of Ministers and one elected by the Hindus among the members of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Kerala.
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