High Court Approves Transfer of Sabarimala Executive Officer O.G. Biju, P.S. Shanthakumar Likely to Take Charge Today
Kochi, July 17: The Kerala High Court has approved the transfer of Sabarimala Executive Officer O.G. Biju and permitted the appointment of P.S. Shanthakumar as the new Executive Officer of the Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Swamy Temple.
The court allowed the Travancore Devaswom Board's application to appoint P.S. Shanthakumar in place of O.G. Biju and stated that Shanthakumar could assume charge today. The approval is for the 2026–27 term.
The High Court observed that there were no adverse vigilance reports against Shanthakumar during his previous tenure as Sabarimala Executive Officer. Based on this assessment, the Devaswom Bench approved the Travancore Devaswom Board's request.
Earlier, the High Court had sought an explanation regarding the continued posting of senior Travancore Devaswom Board officials at Sabarimala for extended periods. The court questioned why senior officers, including O.G. Biju and S. Sreenivas, had continued to serve at Sabarimala in different positions for a prolonged duration.
The court also noted that the Devaswom Board had reappointed O.G. Biju without obtaining prior permission from the High Court. The Devaswom Bench raised the issue while hearing a suo motu case based on a report submitted by the Special Commissioner regarding alleged irregularities in the Ashtabhishekam ritual.
The Special Commissioner's report had raised suspicions about Biju's role in the alleged misuse of leftover ghee from offerings and other irregularities related to the Ashtabhishekam corruption case. Following these developments, the newly elected state government decided to transfer Biju. The transfer was carried out after obtaining a written statement from the officer expressing his unwillingness to continue in the post.