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Supreme Court orders election to Sivagiri Board

J. Venkatesan

Appoints retired judge as Appropriate Authority

NEW DEHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed K. S. Paripoornan, a retired Judge of the apex court, as an Appropriate Authority to finalise the list of voters of the Trust Board of Sivagiri Math in Varkala, and to conduct the elections to the Board in six months.

A Bench of Justice A. R. Lakshmanan and Justice R.V. Raveendran passed this order on an appeal filed by Swami Prakasananda and another against a judgment of the Kerala High Court upholding the law to take over the Math.

During the course of arguments, counsel for the appellants did not press the challenge to the validity of the legislation since the term of the Trust Board elected in 2001 was due to end shortly.

It was submitted that it was enough if the court considered the validity of the admission of 18 Sanyasins as members of the Trust and their subsequent removal as also the removal of six original members; finalisation of voters' list and for proper conduct of elections.

In view of these submissions, the Bench said that the appeal could be disposed of by appointing Justice Paripoornan as the Authority to perform the following functions: to scrutinise and decide the validity of the admission of 18 members to the Trust; to examine and decide whether the removal/exclusion of the said 18 members as also six of the original members was valid; to finalise the voters' list; supervise the elections and to hand over charge to the newly elected Board.

The Bench said that it was unfortunate that an institution founded by a great social reformer was entangled in faction politics, coups and counter-coups and litigations, that too between groups of Sanyasin disciples of Sree Narayana Guru who swear allegiance and commitment to his great ideals.

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