Kerala High Court appoints former Justice VG Arun as Sabarimala high power committee chairperson

The Kerala High Court recently appointed retired Justice VG Arun as the chairperson of the high power committee for implementation of the Sabarimala master plan following the demise of former chairperson Justice S Siri Jagan on January 24 [The High Power Committee for the implementaion of the Sabarimala Master Plan v State of Kerala & ors].

A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar passed the order appointing after noting that the absence of a chairperson had left the committee unable to effectively discharge its functions.

"The role of the Chairman of the High Power Committee, as envisaged in the orders of this Court dated 02.04.2009 and 30.08.2017, is central to and determinative of the entire implementation process of the Sabarimala Master Plan. The Chairman presides over all meetings of the Committee and exercises overall supervision and control over its functioning and the implementation of the Master Plan," the Court said.

It observed that the chairperson of the committee was responsible for presiding over meetings, supervising implementation, resolving interdepartmental issues, ensuring financial discipline and acting as a crucial link between the Court, the State government and the Travancore Devaswom Board.

Hence, the appointment of a new chairman is essential to restore the functional efficacy of the committee and to ensure uninterrupted progress of the Sabarimala master plan, the Bench stated.

"Equally significant is the chairman’s obligation to safeguard the flora and fauna of the region and to ensure that no project undertaken compromises the ecological balance of the Periyar Tiger Reserve and the Western Ghats," the Court added.

The order was passed in a case concerning the implementation of the Sabarimala master plan, a comprehensive framework developed to manage the growing influx of pilgrims to the Sabarimala temple while safeguarding the fragile ecology of the region.

The plan was prepared pursuant to the directions of the Supreme Court and was approved by the State government in 2007.

The plan addressed key aspects such as pilgrim safety, infrastructure development, waste management, traffic regulation, sanitation and disaster preparedness.

To oversee the execution of the master plan, a high power committee was constituted by the court in 2009, later reconstituted in 2017 with Justice Jagan as its chairman.

The committee was vested with wide ranging powers, including supervision of projects, coordination between departments, financial oversights and submission of periodic reports to the Court.

Over the years, the State allocated substantial funds amounting to over ₹390 crore for developmental activities in Sabarimala under the master plan.

The Court recorded that while several infrastructure projects had been undertaken, certain critical components remained incomplete. These included aspects of the pilgrim management system and queue complexes along the trekking routes.

It referred to the suo motu proceedings initiated by the Court, which dealt with the issues relating to crowd management, infrastructure gaps, sanitation, safety and institutional coordination.

Thus, while appointing the new chairperson, the Court directed the committee to consider aspects highlighted in the earlier proceedings of this case so as to avoid duplication of functions.

Senior Government Pleader Rashmi KM appeared for the State.

Standing Counsel G Biju represented the Travancore Devaswom Board.

Advocate Sayujya Radhakrishnan appeared for the high power committee.

[Read Order]