Outgoing TDB president says leadership change is natural, denies talk of term extension

Thiruvananthapuram | Outgoing head of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), P S Prasanth said on Tuesday that it was natural for the government to appoint a new leadership team.

He claimed that there have been no discussions about extending his panel's tenure.

Prasanth dismissed reports of a possible extension as media speculation, noting that neither the government nor the ruling party had made any such suggestion.

The tenure of the former boards had also not been extended in the previous years, he told reporters here ahead of the last meeting of the outgoing board.

"Generally, the tenure of a TDB president is two years. We have completed it. We are stepping down with utmost satisfaction," Prasanth said.

He said elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure a smooth conducting of the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage in Sabarimala temple, which gets underway on November 17.

From parking facilities to infrastructure, more arrangements have been made this year to cater to the huge inflow of Lord Ayyappa devotees at the hill shrine, he said.

"We have done everything for the devotees to complete their pilgrimage with satisfaction," the TDB president added.

On questions about critical remarks by the Kerala High Court against the present Board with regard to the loss of gold from Sabarimala, Prasanth said he would not make any comment on the matter as it is contempt of court.

He reiterated that the Board has operated in a transparent manner and the SIT probe with regard to the issues in Sabarimala is progressing in the right direction.

Prasanth's remarks came a day after the state government issued a gazette notification appointing former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar as the new president of the TDB, which manages major shrines, including the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

A section of media had reported recently that the Left government may extend the tenure of the Board led by Prasanth According to a notification issued on Monday, the term of the outgoing Travancore Devaswom Board president, P S Prasanth, will expire on November 13.

"The Council of Ministers has nominated K Jayakumar, retired IAS officer, as the president of the board from November 14," the notification has said.

He will serve as the TDB president for a period of two years from November 14, 2025, it added.

Jayakumar had earlier served as Devaswom Special Commissioner at Sabarimala for a year during his tenure in government service.

After retiring as Kerala Chief Secretary, he also served as the founding Vice-Chancellor of Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University.

The government appointed the former bureaucrat to the top post of the temple body amid a political row over the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple.