Kerala HC accepts plea to cancel draw for Sabarimala chief priest selection, next hearing on Nov 7

The Kerala High Court has already examined a footage of the draw of lots submitted by the Devaswom Board and that of a news channel. The next hearing has been scheduled on November 7. The petitioner alleged of discrepancies in the lots drawn to select the Sabarimala chief priest.

Ernakulam:The Kerala High Court has accepted a petition to cancel the Sabarimala 'Melshanthi' (chief priest) selection through draw of lots. It has sent a notice to PN Mahesh, who was selected as the 'Melshanthi' through a special envoy. Also, a notice has been issued to the Travancore Devaswom Board in this regard.

While hearing the petition today, the High Court mentioned that the fact that two papers with names on them were left partially open in the draw may not have been intentional, but it is a fact. In the interim order, the court stated that no personal allegations have been made against PN Mahesh, the newly elected Melshanthi.

The High Court Devaswom bench comprising Justices Anil K Narendran and G Girish will hear the plea on November 7. The Travancore Devaswom Board had presented the CCTV footage of the draw as per the court's order. The High Court examined the footage during the previous hearing. Along with examining the CCTV footage, the court also went through the footage of a news channel.

The petition was filed by Thiruvananthapuram resident, Madhusudan Namboothiri. It pointed out that the Melshanti selection process was not conducted transparently and alleged of discrepancies in the lots drawn to select the chief priest. The petitioner alleged that only the paper containing the name of the person, who was selected, was folded while the rest of the papers were partially open. The petitioner alleged that the rest of the papers were rolled up.

The petitioner told court that he had some doubts about the selection process when he saw the visuals of the draw in media and so moved court to ensure transparency in the system. He further said that his intention was not to insult the Devaswom Board or any other person.