Kalarcode Venugopalan Nair vs Travancore Devaswom Board
2025 Latest Caselaw 9279 Ker

Kerala High Court

Kalarcode Venugopalan Nair vs Travancore Devaswom Board on 29 September, 2025

                                                  2025:KER:72976​
                                                  ​
​WP(C) NO. 36013 OF 2025​

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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​
           ​

              TH​
              ​
MONDAY, THE 29​
​                 DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2025/7TH ASWINA,​​
                  ​                                 1947​

                    WP(C) NO. 36013 OF 2025​
                    ​

PETITIONER:​
​

              ​ALARCODE VENUGOPALAN NAIR​
              K
              AGED 62 YEARS,​
              ​
              RESIDING AT SREESADANAM HOUSE,​
              ​
              SANATHANAPURAM P.O., KALARCODE,​
              ​
              ALAPPUZHA, PIN - 688003​
              ​


              BY ADV KALARCODE VENUGOPALAN NAIR(PARTY-IN-PERSON)​
              ​

RESPONDENTS:​

​

1​ ​ ​RAVANCORE DEVASWOM BOARD​ T DEVASWOM BOARD OFFICE, NANTHANCODE,​ ​ KAWDIAR POST,​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY,​ ​ PIN - 695003​ ​

2​ ​ ​EVASWOM COMMISSIONER​ D OFFICE OF THE DEVASWOM COMMISSIONER,​ ​ TRAVANCORE DEVASWOM BOARD HEADQUARTERS,​ ​ NANTHANCODE, KAWDIAR POST,​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN - 695003​ ​ ​WP(C) No. 36013 of 2025​ 2025:KER:72976​ ​

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3​ ​ ​SSISTANT DEVASWOM COMMISSIONER​ A AMBALAPUZHA GROUP,​ ​ OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT DEVASWOM COMMISSIONER,​ ​ AMBALAPPUZHA,SANATHANAPURAM.P.O,​ ​ ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT, PIN - 688561​ ​

4​ ​ ​UB GROUP OFFICER​ S KALARCODE SREEMAHADEVA TEMPLE,​ ​ KALARCODE DEVASWOM,SANATHANAPURAM.P.O., KALARCODE​ ​ ALAPPUZHA, PIN - 688003​ ​

ADV. G BIJU, SC FOR TDB​ ​

​HIS​ ​ T WRIT​ ​PETITION​ ​ (CIVIL)​ ​HAVING​ ​ COME​ ​UP​ ​ FOR​ ADMISSION​ ​ ​ ON​ ​29.09.2025,​ ​ THE​ ​COURT​ ​ ON​ ​ THE​ ​SAME​ ​ DAY​ DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:​ ​ ​WP(C) No. 36013 of 2025​ 2025:KER:72976​ ​

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​JUDGMENT​ ​Raja Vijayaraghavan V, J.​

​The petitioner has approached this Court seeking the following reliefs:​ ​"(i)​ ​To​ ​issue​ ​a​ ​writ​ ​of​ ​certiorari​ ​quashing​ ​Ext.P4​ ​notice​ ​in​ ​so​ ​far​ ​it​ ​insists​​the​​production​​of​​Police​​Clearance​​Certificate​​for​​all​​members​ ​to​ ​participate​ ​in​ ​the​ ​general​ ​body​ ​meeting​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Kalarcode​ ​Sree​ ​Mahadeva Temple.​ ​(ii)​ ​To​ ​issue​ ​an​ ​interim​ ​stay​ ​of​ ​all​ ​further​ ​proceedings​ ​pursuant​ ​to​ ​Ext.P4​ ​notice​ ​and​ ​to​ ​conduct​ ​the​ ​general​ ​body​ ​and​ ​festival​ ​celebrations as per the present conditions by maintaining status quo;​ ​(iii)​ ​To​ ​issue​ ​a​ ​writ​ ​of​ ​mandamus,​ ​order​ ​or​ ​direction​ ​commanding​ ​and​ ​compelling​ ​the​ ​respondents​ ​3​ ​and​ ​4​ ​to​​permit​​the​​devotees​​who​ ​are​ ​members​ ​of​ ​the​ ​general​ ​body​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Kalarcode​ ​Sree​ ​Mahadeva​ ​Temple​ ​without​ ​insisting​ ​for​ ​the​ ​production​ ​of​ ​Police​ ​Clearance​ ​Certificate​ ​considering​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​the​ ​festival​ ​celebrations​ ​are​ ​scheduled to be commenced from 14.10.2025 to 24.10.2025 onwards.​ ​(iv)​ ​To​ ​issue​ ​a​ ​writ​ ​of​ ​mandamus,​ ​order​ ​or​ ​direction​ ​commanding​ ​and​ ​compelling​ ​the​ ​respondents​ ​3​ ​and​ ​4​ ​insist​ ​for​ ​the​​production​​of​ ​Police​ ​Clearance​ ​Certificate​ ​only​ ​for​ ​the​ ​13​ ​members​ ​elected​ ​to​​the​ ​Advisory Board of the Kalarcode Sree Mahadeva Temple."​

​2.​ ​The​ ​petitioner​ ​states​ ​that​ ​the​ ​day-to-day​ ​management​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Kalarcode​ ​Sree​ ​Mahadeva​ ​Temple​ ​is​ ​carried​ ​out​ ​by​ ​an​ ​Advisory​ ​Board​ ​elected​ ​from​ ​among​ ​the​ ​members​ ​present​ ​at​ ​the​ ​General​ ​Body​ ​meeting.​ ​Under​ ​the​ ​relevant​ ​bye-laws,​ ​the​ ​Advisory​ ​Board​ ​shall​ ​consist​ ​of​ ​a​ ​maximum​ ​of​ ​fifteen​ ​WP(C) No. 36013 of 2025​ 2025:KER:72976​ ​

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​members,​​including​​two​​permanent​​members​​viz,​​the​​Assistant​​Devaswom​​Board​ ​Commissioner​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Sub-Group​ ​Officer.​ ​The​ ​remaining​ ​thirteen​ ​members​ ​are​ ​to​​be​​elected.​​They​​have​​directed​​to​​produce​​Police​​Clearance​​Certificates,​​which​ ​for​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​forwarding​ ​the​ ​same​ ​to​​the​​Travancore​​Devaswom​​Board​​for​ ​approval.​ ​3.​ ​According​ ​to​ ​the​ ​petitioner,​​circulars​​were​​issued​​with​​the​​intention​ ​of​ ​excluding​ ​genuine​ ​devotees​ ​from​ ​participating​ ​in​ ​the​ ​General​ ​Body​ ​meeting​ ​scheduled​ ​for​ ​03.10.2025.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​contended​ ​that​ ​the​ ​authorities​ ​are​ ​attempting​ ​to​ ​secure​ ​the​ ​election​ ​of​ ​persons​ ​of​ ​their​ ​own​ ​choice​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Advisory​ ​Board​ ​by​ ​deliberately​​preventing​​bona​​fide​​devotees​​from​​contesting​​to​​the​​election.​​It​​is​​on​ ​these​ ​assertions,​ ​that​ ​the​ ​present​​writ​​petition​​has​​been​​filed​​seeking​​appropriate​ ​directions​ ​4.​ ​We​​have​​heard​​the​​petitioner,​​who​​appeared​​in​​person,​​as​​well​​as​​the​ ​learned counsel appearing for the Travancore Devaswom Board.​ ​5.​ ​In​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​contentions​ ​advanced,​ ​the​ ​Station​ ​House​ ​Officer,​ ​Alappuzha​ ​South,​ ​is​ ​suo​ ​motu​ ​impleaded​ ​as​ ​an​ ​additional​ ​respondent.​ ​The​ ​learned Government Pleader takes notice.​ ​6.​ ​The​​principal​​grievance​​of​​the​​petitioner​​is​​that​​his​​application​​for​​a​ ​Police​​Clearance​​Certificate​​has​​not​​been​​processed,​​thereby​​preventing​​him​​from​ ​participating​ ​in​ ​the​ ​forthcoming​ ​General​ ​Body​ ​meeting.​ ​A​ ​further​ ​grievance​ ​raised​​is​​that​​the​​attempt​​is​​to​​include​​the​​members​​of​​the​​former​​advisory​​board​ ​who are facing criminal allegations.​ ​7.​ ​The​ ​learned​ ​Government​ ​Pleader​ ​submitted​ ​that​ ​if​ ​the​ ​petitioner's​ ​WP(C) No. 36013 of 2025​ 2025:KER:72976​ ​

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​application​​for​​a​​Police​​Clearance​​Certificate​​is​​presently​​pending,​​the​​competent​ ​authority​ ​shall​ ​process​​the​​application​​forthwith​​and​​ensure​​that​​the​​certificate​​is​ ​issued without delay, preferably by the end of the day.​ ​8.​ ​Insofar​ ​as​ ​the​ ​request​ ​not​ ​to​ ​insist​ ​on​ ​the​ ​production​ ​of​ ​a​ ​Police​ ​Clearance​ ​Certificate​ ​is​ ​concerned,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​not​ ​inclined​ ​to​ ​grant​ ​the​ ​said​​prayer.​ ​The​ ​Police​ ​Clearance​ ​Certificate​​is​​insisted​​upon​​to​​ensure​​that​​the​​persons​​with​ ​criminal​​antecedents​​do​​not​​get​​into​​the​​committees.​ ​The​​petitioner​​himself​​states​ ​that​ ​the​ ​persons​ ​who​ ​were​ ​in​ ​the​ ​committee​ ​earlier​ ​are​ ​persons​ ​with​ ​criminal​ ​antecedents.​​If​​that​​be​​the​​case,​​the​​official​​respondents​​shall​​ensure​​that​​persons​ ​with​​criminal​​antecedents​​and​​against​​whom​​crimes​​are​​registered,​​do​​not​​partake​ ​in the election.​ ​The Writ Petition is disposed of.​

​ d/-​ S ​RAJA VIJAYARAGHAVAN V,​ ​JUDGE​

​ d/-​ S ​K.V. JAYAKUMAR,​ ​msp​ ​JUDGE​