HC orders interview for Melsanthis on Oct. 18

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, OCT. 15. A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to hold the interview of the selected candidates for the posts of Melsathis of Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples on October 18 and draw the lots for the final selection on October 20.

The Bench, comprising Mr. Justice V.P. Mohankumar and Mr. Justice K.K. Deneshan, ordered that the selection committee must have two members from the Thazhamon illom and one from the Travancore area, to be nominated by the Board.

The judges issued the directive while allowing a petition filed by the Board seeking to correct a recorded submission made by it in an earlier case before the Bench, and a directive to Mr. Kantaru Maheswararu, Thantri of Sabarimala, to cooperate with the selection process and preside over the selection committee.

The Board, in its petition, alleged that the Thanthri was not cooperating with the selection committee because of the submission, inadvertently recorded by the Court. The recorded submission was that the chairman of the selection committee shall be the eldest among the three Thazvazhis of Thazhamon illom.

The petition sought to correct the submission to the effect that the chairman shall be the present Thantri-in-charge of the Sabarimala temple. According to the Board, the interview was to be held on October 12. In view of the recorded submission, the present Thanthri did not cooperate with the process and as a result, the interview was put off.

The Board feared that the age-old tradition of the selection of Melsathis on the first day of Malayalam month Thulam would be violated this year unless the High Court directed the present Thanthri to cooperate with the process. The Board had constituted a selection committee with the present Thantri as chairman and two Thantris from the Travancore area as members.

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Section  : Southern States
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