Kerala High Court appoints retired Justice VG Arun to oversee selection of chief priest at Sabarimala

The Kerala High Court has appointed retired High Court Justice VG Arun as an 'Observer' to oversee the upcoming selection of Melsanthis (chief priests) at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha temple and the Malikappuram temple in Sabarimala. [Suo Motu v State of Kerala].A Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar issued the direction in a suo motu case concerning fairness and transparency in the selections of the chief priests."Having perused the report of the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, we appoint Mr. Justice VG Arun, a former Judge of this Court, as the 'Observer' and request him to oversee the proceedings for selection of Melsanthis of Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple and Malikappuram Temple, for the year 1202 ME (2026-2027) at the Travancore Devaswom Board Head Office, Thiruvananthapuram," the Court stated in its order dated September 29, 2026.Justice Arun has also been asked to be present at Sabarimala when the final selection is made through a draw of lots..The suo motu proceedings were initiated based on a report by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner's report on steps required to ensure fairness, transparency and strict adherence to guidelines governing the selection process of chief priests.This year, 78 applications were considered, 48 for Sabarimala and 30 for Malikappuram. After a vigilance enquiry, five applicants for Sabarimala and three for Malikappuram were recommended for the interview scheduled for October 5 at the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.The selection process involves shortlisting candidates after interviews and a final selection process by a draw of lots in front of the sanctum sanctorum.This process has been contested in the past and orders have been passed by the Supreme Court and the High Court, laying down guidelines to ensure fairness including guidelines on the constitution of the selection committee, allocation of marks and interview procedures.As regards this year's selection process, the Court directed that marks during interviews must be entered only using ball point pens. The mark sheets must be countersigned by Justice Arun and kept in the safe custody of the TDB Commissioner. The entire interview proceedings must also be video recorded.After the interviews, the Observer and the Sabarimala Special Commissioner should submit reports to the High Court. The Court also directed the TDB to produce the video recording, mark lists and shortlist in a sealed cover by October 15 and added that the draw of lots can proceed only after the Court has examined these materials and passes further orders.The Pandalam royal family was directed to send a young boy and girl to draw lots for the Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples, respectively, as per custom.The Court also directed TDB to arrange necessary facilities for the observer's accommodation and transport..Standing counsel G Biju represented the Travancore Devaswom Board..[Read Order]