C.Mohanan vs The Cochin Devaswom Board on 31 March, 2010

       

  

  

 
 
  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

WP(C).No. 4381 of 2010(W)


1. C.MOHANAN, S/O.KRISHNANKUTTY MENON,
                      ...  Petitioner

                        Vs



1. THE COCHIN DEVASWOM BOARD,
                       ...       Respondent

2. THE DEVASWOM COMMISSIONER/SPECIAL

3. THE ASSISTANT DEVASWOM COMMISSIONER,

4. THE DEVASWOM OFFICER,

5. TEMPLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THEKKEN

                For Petitioner  :SRI.S.SUBHASH CHAND

                For Respondent  :SRI.K.GOPALAKRISHNA KURUP,SC,COCHIN D.B

The Hon'ble MR. Justice C.N.RAMACHANDRAN NAIR
The Hon'ble MR. Justice P.S.GOPINATHAN

 Dated :31/03/2010

 O R D E R
                   C.N.RAMACHANDRAN NAIR &
                            P.S.GOPINATHAN, JJ.
              ....................................................................
                          W.P.(C) No.4381 of 2010
              ....................................................................
                Dated this the 31st day of March, 2010.

                                     JUDGMENT

Ramachandran Nair, J.

The W.P.(C) is filed challenging the extension of tenure of the

Temple Advisory Committee of the Thekken Chittoor Sree Krishna

Swamy Temple by one year from 31.12.2009 after the tenure of the

present committee was over. The petitioner’s allegation is that the

Devaswom Board unnecessarily extended the tenure of the committee

by one year without any justification. However, Standing Counsel for

Cochin Devaswom Board and counsel appearing for the 5th respondent

submitted that tenure is extended only because of extensive renovation

work undertaken by the committee which is continued even as of now.

However, it is conceded by the 5th respondent that the Committee’s

effort is to complete all work before the annual festival that is to

commence by the end of April 2010. The committee is said to have

made arrangements for conduct of the annual festival as well. In these

circumstances, we feel new committee should be reconstituted soon

W.P.(C) 4381/2010 2

after the festival is over, by which time renovation work also will be

over. We, therefore, direct the present committee to conclude all

matters including settlement of accounts for the work done and for the

festival by 31st May, 2010. The Cochin Devaswom Board will

constitute fresh Advisory Committee in June 2010 itself under Section

76A of the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act. It is

for the Devaswom Board to arrange for audit of the accounts of the

temple including the income and expenditure on renovation work,

festival etc.

W.P.(C) is disposed of as above.

C.N.RAMACHANDRAN NAIR
Judge

P.S.GOPINATHAN
Judge
pms