Kodikkunnil Suresh urges Keralam govt. to appoint Devaswom board president from SC community

Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh has reignited discussion on the representation of Scheduled Castes (SC) within Keralam's Devaswom administration. Suresh has demanded that at least one of the five Devaswom boards in the State be headed by a member of the SC community. This demand was made during a program on Friday, August 28, 2026, to commemorate the birth anniversary of social reformer Ayyankali.

Keralam is home to five major Devaswom bodies, including the Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee, and Koodalmanikyam Devaswom Managing Committee. While SC representation exists at various levels of the Devaswom system, no person from the community has yet served as president of any of the five Devaswom boards.

Suresh urged the V.D. Satheesan government to "rewrite history" by providing a SC individual the opportunity to head at least one of the five Devaswom bodies. He emphasized that this is not a matter of charity, but a genuine and legitimate right. Suresh's demand became more significant on Ayyankali's birth anniversary. Currently, SC representation in Devaswom boards exists through reservation in staff appointments and the appointment of temple priests, but no statutory reservations exist for the top post of Devaswom president.

Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan responded to the media, stating that the government will consider Suresh's demand. Muraleedharan noted that the existing Devaswom boards have a year left in their terms, giving the government time to consider the demand.