Kerala High Court
Ratheesh Madhavan vs Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee on 19 September, 2025
Author: V Raja Vijayaraghavan
Bench: V Raja Vijayaraghavan
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WP(C) NO. 4643 OF 2023
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
PRESENT
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RAJA VIJAYARAGHAVAN V
&
THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE K. V. JAYAKUMAR
FRIDAY, THE 19TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2025 / 28TH BHADRA, 1947
WP(C) NO. 4643 OF 2023
PETITIONER:
RATHEESH MADHAVAN
AGED 48 YEARS,
S/O. MADHAVAN, KAITHAVALAPPIL HOUSE,
UDAYAMPEROOR, SOUTH PARAVUR P.O.,
ERNAKULAM, PIN - 682307
BY ADVS.
SHRI.K.I.MAYANKUTTY MATHER (SR.)
SRI.V.V.ASOKAN (SR.)
SMT.S.PARVATHI
SMT.KALLIYANI KRISHNA B.
RESPONDENTS:
1 GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM MANAGING COMMITTEE
GURUVAYUR P.O., THRISSUR REPRESENTED BY ITS CHAIRMAN.,
PIN - 680101
2 THE ADMINISTRATOR
GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM BOARD,
GURUVAYUR P.O., THRISSUR, PIN - 680101
3 COMMISSIONER
GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM, GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT,
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM GPO, PIN - 695001
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WP(C) NO. 4643 OF 2023
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4 STATE OF KERALA
REP. BY THE SPECIAL SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT REVENUE
(DEVASWOM), GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT,
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM G.P.O. - 695 001.
5 ALANKODE LEELAKRISHNAN
ALANCODE P.O., PONNANI, MALAPPURAM, PIN - 679585
6 ENGANDIYOOR CHANDRASEKHARAN
ENGANDIYOOR, CHAVAKKAD P.O.,
THRISSUR, PIN - 680615
7 PROF. V. MADHUSOODANAN NAIR
TC 4/1568, DEVASWOM BOARD JUNCTION,
NANTHENCODE, KOWDIAR P.O.,
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - 695003
ADDL. R7 IS IMPLEADED AS PER ORDER DATED 20.02.2023 IN
IA-1/2023 IN WP(C) NO. 4643/2023.
BY ADVS.
SHRI.T.K.VIPINDAS, SC, GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM BOARD
SRI.T.K.VIPINDAS
THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON
19.09.2025, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:
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WP(C) NO. 4643 OF 2023
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JUDGMENT
Raja Vijayaraghavan V, J.
The petitioner states that he is an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and a
long-time admirer of the revered Malayalam devotional poet late Poonthanam
Namboothiri. According to the petitioner, the Guruvayoor Devaswom has
instituted an award titled "Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram" to
commemorate the poet's enduring spiritual legacy. The petitioner's grievance
is that the process of identifying the recipient of this award lacks transparency
and essential procedural safeguards. He contends that no clear or codified
guidelines exist either for the constitution of the selection committee or for
the criteria by which the awardee is chosen. It is in the above circumstances
that the petitioner has approached this Hon'ble Court by way of the present
Writ Petition, seeking the following reliefs to ensure fairness, accountability,
and adherence to principles of natural justice in the conferment of the said
award.
a) Issue an appropriate writ or order to call for the records from the
respondents 1 and 2 pertaining to the Board meeting convened
on 25.01.2023 and the sub-committee meeting convened on
07.02.2023 (sub-committee meeting regarding the Selection of
the Awardee Procedure for award of 'Poonthanam Njanappana
Puraskaram' this year - 2023) or such other meeting in that
connection and nullify the same.
b) Issue an appropriate writ or order directing the respondents 1 to
4 to formulate transparent procedures/guidelines for award of
'Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram, particularly touching the
following aspects:-
i) Since Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram, being
an award funded by Guruvayur Devaswom, there
must be transparency in the matter of this award.
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WP(C) NO. 4643 OF 2023
ii) To formulate guidelines in the matter of selecting the
selection committee to identify the Awardee of
Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram.
iii) To formulate guidelines / parameters to identify the
Awardee for Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram
every year.
iv) To formulate Guidelines to constitute the selection
committee consisting of qualified hands for the
award of Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram.
c) To call for the records of the meeting of the sub-committee dated
7.2.2023 identifying the Awardee for Poonthanam Njanappana
Puraskaram - 2023 and nullify the same by means of an
appropriate writ or order.
d) Issue a writ of mandamus or other appropriate writ or order
directing the respondents to prepare a panel of qualified eminent
scholars and to constitute an expert committee for selection of
deserving person for the award of Poonthanam Njanappana
Puraskaram-2023 as well as for the coming years,
e) To issue a writ of mandamus or other appropriate writ or order
forbearing the respondents in proclaiming the name of the
Awardee for Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram-2023 or in
any way proceeding to award the honour to the Awardee this
year.
(ea) Call for the records of the case from the
respondents 1 and 2 as regards the decision taken
on 16.2.2023 and 18.2.2023 to select the
additional 7th respondent (Prof. V.
Madhusoodanan Nair) as the Awardee for
Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram, 2023 and
nullify the same by means of an appropriate writ
or order.
f) Grant such other reliefs that this Hon'ble Court may deem fit to
grant under the facts and circumstances of the case.
2. A counter-affidavit has been filed by the respondents
controverting the petitioner's contentions. It is averred therein that proper
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guidelines are already in place, though not previously reduced to writing. The
respondents state that the Managing Committee, after due deliberation and
care, has in past years constituted the sub-committee responsible for selecting
the awardee. They further submit that, subsequent to the filing of the present
Writ Petition, formal written guidelines--based on the existing
practice--were formulated pursuant to a decision dated 16.02.2023, and a
copy of these guidelines has been produced before this Court.
3. We have heard the submissions advanced by Smt. S. Parvathi,
learned counsel for the petitioner, and Sri T. K. Vipin Das, learned Standing
Counsel for the Guruvayoor Devaswom.
4. Upon perusal of the newly formulated guidelines, this Court noted
that the tenure of the expert members of the sub-committee had not been
specified. When this omission was pointed out to the respondents, they
produced Resolution No. 61 of the Guruvayoor Devaswom Managing
Committee dated 10.09.2025, whereby the term of the expert members of the
sub-committee has now been fixed at one year.
5. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that, in view of the
written guidelines and the incorporation of the clause fixing the tenure of
expert members pursuant to Resolution No. 61, the petitioner no longer has
any subsisting grievance in the matter.
6. In light of the above submissions, we are of the view that the
petitioner's grievance stands redressed. We accordingly direct the respondents
to adhere henceforth to the guidelines produced as Ext. R2(b), together with
the additional clause introduced by Resolution No. 61, while selecting and
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identifying the awardee for the "Poonthanam Njanappana Puraskaram."
This Writ Petition is disposed of accordingly.
Sd/-
RAJA VIJAYARAGHAVAN V
JUDGE
Sd/-
K. V. JAYAKUMAR
JUDGE
msp
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WP(C) NO. 4643 OF 2023
APPENDIX OF WP(C) 4643/2023
RESPONDENT EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT R2(A) TRUE COPY OF THE RESOLUTION NO.15 OF THE
MANAGING COMMITTEE DATED 25-01-2023
EXHIBIT R2(B) TRUE COPY OF THE GUIDELINES ADOPTED BY THE
GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM MANAGING COMMITTEE AS PER
RESOLUTION NO: 41 DATED 16-02-2023
EXHIBIT R2(C) THE TRUE COPY OF THE RESOLUTION NO.1 OF
GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM MANAGING COMMITTEE DATED
16-02-2023
