Madhavankutty K vs Malabar Devaswom Board
2026 Latest Caselaw 1069 Ker

Kerala High Court

Madhavankutty K vs Malabar Devaswom Board on 2 February, 2026

                                                     ​2026:KER:8667​
​WP(C) No. 3958 of 2026​             ​1​




               IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA​​
               ​                           AT ERNAKULAM​
                               PRESENT​
                               ​

        THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RAJA VIJAYARAGHAVAN V​
        ​

                                     &​
                                     ​

             THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE K. V. JAYAKUMAR​
             ​

                 ND​
                 ​
    MONDAY, THE 2​
    ​                DAY OF FEBRUARY 2026 / 13TH MAGHA,​​
                     ​                                  1947​

                           WP(C) NO. 3958 OF 2026​
                           ​

PETITIONER:​
​

               ​ADHAVANKUTTY K.​
               M
               AGED 48 YEARS​
               ​
               KONGASSERY HOUSE THIRUVENKADAM, CHAVAKKAD TALUK​
               ​
               GURUVAYUR, THRISSUR, PIN - 680101​
               ​


               ​Y ADVS.​
               B
               SMT.M.U.VIJAYALAKSHMI​
               ​
               SRI.K.JAJU BABU (SR.)​
               ​
               SRI.BRIJESH MOHAN​
               ​
               SHRI.SACHIN RAMESH​
               ​
               SMT.AISHWARYA SATHEESAN​
               ​
               SHRI.MANIKANTAN S.KANDATHIL​
               ​
               SMT.SHIVANI SIM​
               ​


RESPONDENTS:​

​

1​ ​ ​ALABAR DEVASWOM BOARD,​ M HOUSEFED COMPLEX, PO ERANJIPPALAM, KOZHIKODE,​ ​ REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY., PIN - 673006​ ​

2​ ​ ​HE DIVISION INSPECTOR​ T MALABAR DEVASWOM BOARD, SREE MAMMIYUR MAHADEVA TEMPLE,​ ​ MAMMIYUR, CHAVAKKAD, GURUVAYUR, PIN - 680101​ ​ ​2026:KER:8667​ ​WP(C) No. 3958 of 2026​ ​2​

3​ ​ ​HE EXECUTIVE OFFICER,​ T MALABAR DEVASWOM BOARD, SREE MAMMIYUR MAHADEVA TEMPLE,​ ​ MAMMIYUR, CHAVAKKAD, GURUVAYUR, PIN - 680101​ ​

4​ ​ ​TATE OF KERALA,​ S REPRESENTED BY SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, REVENUE​ ​ (DEVASWOM) DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT,​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN - 695001​ ​

OTHER PRESENT:​ ​

​DV R RANJANIE (SC);​ A ADV S RAJMOHAN(SR GP)​ ​

​HIS​ ​ T WRIT​ ​ PETITION​ ​ (CIVIL)​ ​ HAVING​ ​ COME​ ​ UP​ ​ FOR​ ​ ADMISSION​ ​ ON​ 02.02.2026,​ ​ ​ THE​ ​ COURT​ ​ON​ ​THE​ ​ SAME​ ​DAY​ ​DELIVERED​ ​THE​ FOLLOWING:​ ​ ​2026:KER:8667​ ​WP(C) No. 3958 of 2026​ ​3​

​J U D G M E N T​

​Raja Vijayaraghavan V, J.​

​The​​petitioner​​states​​that​​he​​is​​a​​resident​​of​​Thiruvankadam​​in​​Chavakakd​ ​Taluk.​ ​According​ ​to​ ​him,​ ​he​ ​has​ ​also​ ​applied​ ​for​ ​non-hereditary​ ​trusteeship​ ​in​ ​the​ ​temple.​ ​As​ ​there​ ​were​ ​numerous​ ​applicants,​ ​the​ ​2nd​ ​respondent​ ​invited​ ​objections​ ​against​ ​applicants​ ​having​ ​disqualification​ ​or​ ​ineligibility.​ ​The​ ​grievance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​petitioner​ ​is​ ​that​ ​Ext.P5​ ​objections​ ​submitted​ ​by​ ​him​ ​and​ ​similar other objections submitted by others have not been considered.​

​2.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​in​ ​the​ ​afore​ ​circumstances​ ​that​ ​this​ ​Writ​ ​Petition​ ​is​ ​filed​ ​seeking the following reliefs:​

​(i)​ ​Declare​ ​that​ ​the​ ​respondents​ ​2​ ​and​ ​3​ ​are​ ​not​ ​justified​ ​in​ ​proceeding​ ​with​ ​Ext.P8​ ​process​ ​of​ ​selection​ ​before​ ​taking​ ​a​ ​final​​decision​​on​​Ext.P5​​objection​​submitted​​by​​the​​petitioner​ ​and or any other similar objections in response to Ext.P2.​

​(ii)​​Issue​​a​​writ​​of​​mandamus​​or​​any​​other​​appropriate​​writ,​​order​ ​or​ ​direction,​ ​directing​ ​the​ ​respondents​ ​2​ ​and​ ​3​ ​to​ ​consider​ ​Ext.P5​ ​and​ ​or​ ​similar​ ​objections​ ​submitted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​petitioner​ ​and​ ​others​ ​in​ ​response​ ​to​ ​Ext.P2​ ​and​ ​take​ ​a​ ​decision​ ​after​ ​hearing​ ​the​ ​objectors​ ​and​ ​affected​ ​parties,​ ​before​ ​proceeding​ ​with Ext.P8.​

​3.​ ​When​ ​the​ ​matter​ ​is​ ​taken​ ​up​ ​for​ ​consideration,​ ​Sri.​ ​Jaju​ ​Babu.​ ​K,​ ​learned​ ​Senior​ ​Counsel,​ ​as​ ​instructed​ ​by​ ​Smt.​ ​M.U.​​Vijayalakshmi,​​the​​learned​ ​2026:KER:8667​ ​WP(C) No. 3958 of 2026​ ​4​

​counsel,​ ​submits​ ​that​ ​his​ ​limited​ ​prayer​ ​is​ ​for​ ​a​ ​decision​ ​to​​be​​taken​​on​​Ext.P5​ ​and​ ​similar​ ​objections​ ​before​ ​concluding​ ​the​ ​selection​ ​process,​​which​​has​​been​ ​initiated.​

​4.​ ​Smt.​ ​R.​ ​Ranjanie,​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Standing​ ​Counsel​ ​appearing​ ​for​ ​the​ ​Board,​ ​submitted​ ​that​ ​the​ ​said​ ​request​ ​can​ ​be​ ​considered​ ​and​ ​that​ ​the​ ​process​ ​shall be finalized only after considering the objections that have been received.​

​Having​ ​regard​ ​to​ ​the​ ​facts​ ​and​ ​circumstances​ ​and​ ​the​ ​submissions​ ​made​ ​across​​the​​Bar,​​this​​Writ​​Petition​​is​​disposed​​of​​directing​​respondent​​Nos.​​2​​and​ ​3,​​as​​the​​case​​may​​be,​​to​​proceed​​with​​the​​finalization​​of​​the​​process​​of​​selection​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​Ext.P8​ ​only​ ​after​ ​considering​ ​Ext.​ ​P5​ ​and​ ​such​ ​other​ ​objections​ ​submitted in response to Ext.P2.​

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

​ d/-​ S ​K.V. JAYAKUMAR,​ ​APM​ ​JUDGE​ ​2026:KER:8667​ ​WP(C) No. 3958 of 2026​ ​5​

APPENDIX OF WP(C) NO. 3958 OF 2026​ ​

PETITIONER EXHIBITS​ ​

Exhibit P1​ ​ ​RUE​​ T COPY​​OF​​THE​​NOTIFICATION​​ J76699/2025/MDB​ DATED​ ​ ​ 19.11.2025​ ​ PUBLISHED​ ​ BY​ ​THE​ ​ 1ST​ RESPONDENT​ ​ Exhibit P2​ ​ TRUE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​ OF​ ​ THE​ ​ NOTICE​ ​J7-6699/2025/MDB​ DATED 15.01.2026 ISSUED BY THE 1ST RESPONDENT​ ​ Exhibit P3​ ​ TRUE​​ ​ COPY​​OF​​THE​​JUDGMENT​​ DATED​​27.02.2025​​IN​ W.P.(C).NO.7508​ ​ ​ OF​ ​2025​ ​ OF​ ​ THIS​ ​HON'BLE​ COURT.​ ​ Exhibit P4​ ​ TRUE​ ​ COPY​ ​ ​ OF​ ​ THE​ ​ GOVERNMENT​ ​ ORDER​ GO(RT).NO.135/2026/RD DATED 20.01.2026​ ​ Exhibit P5​ ​ TRUE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​OF​ ​ THE​ ​ OBJECTION​ ​ SUBMITTED​ ​ BY​ ​ THE​ PETITIONER​ ​ ​ BEFORE​ ​ THE​ ​ 2ND​ ​ RESPONDENT​ ​ ON​ 28.01.2026​ ​ Exhibit P6​ ​ TRUE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​ OF​ ​THE​ ​ NOTICE​ ​OF​ ​NAVARATHRI​ FESTIVAL​ ​ ​ 2025​ ​ AT​ ​SREE​ ​ MAMMIYUR​ ​MAHADEVA​ TEMPLE​ ​ Exhibit P7​ ​ TRUE​ ​ ​ COPY​ ​ OF​ ​THE​ ​ NOTICE​ ​FOR​ ​MAHARUDHRA​ FESTIVAL​ ​ ​ 2026​ ​ OF​ ​SREE​ ​ MAMMIYUR​ ​MAHADEVA​ TEMPLE​ ​ Exhibit P8​ ​ TRUE​​ ​ COPY​​OF​​THE​​NOTICE​​ GVR-23/2025/MDB​​ DATED​ 24.01.2026​ ​ ​ ISSUED​ ​BY​ ​ THE​ ​INSPECTOR,​ ​ MALABAR​ DEVASWOM BOARD​ ​