The Kerala government has appointed former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar IAS, a veteran administrator with extensive experience in managing Sabarimala affairs, as the new President of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
The official order appointing Jayakumar was issued on Monday. His term will be for two years, and the appointment will take effect from Friday. The tenure of the outgoing TDB President, P S Prasanth, ends on November 13. The government has also issued an order appointing K Raju as a member of the Board.
Facing public criticism in the wake of the alleged gold theft at the Sabarimala temple, the LDF government decided to bring in the widely respected former Chief Secretary to lead the TDB.
The government and the CPI(M) leadership reportedly zeroed in on Jayakumar considering his extensive experience in Sabarimala administration — having earlier served as Devaswom Secretary, Chief Devaswom Commissioner, and Chairman of the High Court-appointed high-powered committee on Sabarimala.
The appointment is seen as a move to restore credibility and bring stability to the Travancore Devaswom Board amid the ongoing controversy.