‘Devaswom Board must win back devotees' trust and ensure their offerings are secure’: K Jayakumar

Thiruvananthapuram: New president of the Travancore Devaswom Board K Jayakumar said that it is the board’s responsibility to ensure the security of devotees’ offerings and that transparency will be introduced into its functioning. Speaking to the media after taking office, he acknowledged that the faith of the devotees in Sabarimala had been tarnished, but expressed hope for a transparent process moving forward.

Regarding the Sabarimala issue, he noted that it was within the scope of the inquiry committee appointed by the court, and thus, he would not comment further.
In his statement, Jayakumar said, “It is true that the faith of the devotees has been damaged. The news has been very sorrowful. But I cannot comment on it at this moment as it falls under the jurisdiction of the court-appointed inquiry committee. It would be unwise to say anything about it right now. However, there is no doubt that these issues have caused distress among devotees and the people of Kerala. Our goal is to ensure that such issues do not arise again by carefully examining the board’s actions and approaches.”

He continued, “Devotees have faith that the board is the guardian of the deity. We must take appropriate actions to restore that trust. The board is responsible for ensuring that the offerings, including money and property, are secure.”

Jayakumar also mentioned that the board’s governing body is committed to ensuring that no such incidents occur again, adding, “If strict measures are implemented to resolve issues within the board, no complications will arise. I am aware of the issues here, and they fuel my work. I am not here to simply make changes for the sake of it. My vision is to bring transparency and maturity to the board's functioning. I dream of a day when this will become a reality—if not today, then tomorrow.”