Kerala government urged to end ‘discrimination’ in Sabarimala priest selection

The ruling left-front backed renaissance protection forum in Kerala has urged the state government to back the petitions before Kerala High Court challenging the alleged discrimination in restricting the ‘Melshanthi’ (chief priest) post of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple to Malayali Brahmin community.

The issue is likely to put the CPM-led government in yet another tight spot similar to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple women entry issue, especially since the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the temple, already opposed the pleas against the alleged discrimination in the priest selection.

The Kerala High court is considering a batch of petitions against the devaswom board’s notification inviting applications for Sabarimala ‘Melshanthi’, which states that only ‘Malayala Brahmins’ could apply.

After a special sitting last week, the HC asked the Kerala government to convey its stand by December 17.

Kerala Navodhana Samrakshana Samathai (renaissance forum), which was initiated by the left-front in 2019 to counter the campaign against it over Sabarimala women entry issue, on Thursday gave a representation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging that the alleged discrimination in Sabarimala ‘Melshanthi’ selection should be stopped.

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The forum general secretary P Ramabhadran told DH that he had also called on Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan and would be meeting left-front top leaders urging that the discrimination should be stopped.

“It is unfortunate that the Devaswom Board under the left-front government justified the alleged discrimination in ‘Melshanthi’ selection. There were even earlier court orders way back in 2012 against such discrimination in temple priest selection,” he said.

Devaswom Board president K Anandagopan, who is also a CPM leader, said that the board took the stand before the HC based on existing practices, traditions and earlier court orders. The state government will have to take a policy decision on the matter, he said.

The key contention of the petitioners is that there were no hereditary or traditional rights for Sabarimala ‘Melshanthi’ and hence all Hindu priests are eligible to apply to the post. Only the Sabarimala ‘Thantri’ (head priest) has a hereditary right of the Thazhamon family, which is not challenged.

The petitioners are also citing earlier court orders against the discrimination in selection of priests to various temples.

The ‘Melsanthi’ of Sabrimala Ayyappa temple and the nearby Malikapuram temple are selected every year.