The Kerala High Court has directed the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee to consider engaging a expert institutional consultant to assess its administrative and financial workflows and recommend an enterprise-level digital platform.
A division bench consisting of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar suggested that the temple management could utilize state-backed autonomous agencies such as the Centre for Management Development or the State e-Governance Mission Team, or another institution with equivalent technical expertise.
Scope of Proposed Digital Overhaul
The selected consultant will be tasked with reviewing existing operations, identifying procedural gaps, and evaluating the feasibility of a unified real-time tracking system. This platform would record all financial and operational activities, including donations, revenue receipts, expenditures, assets, inventories, and contractual agreements.
The bench also called for assessing a secure digital dashboard designed for statutory auditors and supervisory authorities. This dashboard would enable remote oversight of financial transactions, immediate access to administrative records, and direct tracking of audit compliance and observations.
The court observed that establishing an enterprise management system is necessary to ensure accountability, streamline administration, and maintain public trust in an institution handling substantial public funds.
Audit Discrepancies and Systemic Gaps
The judicial intervention follows revelations made during a statutory audit of the shrine’s operations. The Audit Department informed the bench that while the Devaswom had adopted modern cashless facilities such as E-Hundi devices and credit or debit card payment kiosks, it failed to implement a proper accounting framework to track collections made through these platforms.
Additionally, auditing officials reported a lack of cooperation from Devaswom authorities during their review. The court noted that the absence of a centralized digital infrastructure had led to fragmented record-keeping and hampered financial oversight.
Upcoming Proceedings
To assess the current situation, the High Court instructed the Senior Deputy Director of the Kerala State Audit Department responsible for the Guruvayur Devaswom Audit to appear before the court on July 28 to present an updated status report.
