Malabar Devaswom Board to get full institutional autonomy, says Keralam Minister

The State government will ensure a Devaswom board with full powers for the Malabar Devaswom on the lines of the Cochin Devaswom Board and the Travancore Devaswom Board, Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan has said.

He was replying to a discussion on the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was later passed by the Assembly on Monday.

Admitting to the poor state of affairs in the Malabar Devaswom Board, the Minister said the State government was moving ahead with the proposal to enact a law granting full institutional autonomy to the Malabar Devaswom, similar to the other Devaswom boards in the State. The government’s decision to bring in a comprehensive Bill had already irked some trustees, who approached the government with a plea not to challenge their existing rights. They also warned that they would approach the court if their administrative powers were challenged.

At present, the Malabar Devaswom Board had no powers, with trustees handling its affairs. This could be changed by enacting a law and granting full powers to the board, the Minister said. Similarly, the Malabar Devaswom did not have a headquarters, unlike the other Devaswom boards. To address this, the department was in consultation with the Public Works Department (PWD) to obtain a piece of PWD-owned land in Kozhikode town for setting up the Malabar Devaswom headquarters, he said.

The Minister also assured the House that the State government had made arrangements for a smooth pilgrimage season at Sabarimala with the support of the Travancore Devaswom Board. Around 75 lakh tins of aravana had been assured by the Devaswom ahead of the pilgrimage season. The aravana plant, which had been shut down due to technical issues, would be restored before October 30, and full-fledged production would be ensured during the pilgrimage season. The House also passed the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after discussion.