The Kerala High Court has ordered the Travancore Devaswom Board to switch to a digitized accounting system to modernize the board’s accounting procedures and ensure financial discipline.
A bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar issued the directive while considering the State Audit Department’s report on alleged objections to payment of pension benefits to an employee who retired in 2017 as Deputy Commissioner of Devaswom.
The court was informed that audit objections were raised with reference to a liability of over ₹7 crore as many vouchers relating to his accounts were allegedly missing.
Thereafter, the court asked the officials concerned to submit an action plan outlining steps to introduce modern accounting and auditing practices, including software systems and digital record maintenance.
An examination of the wider issues surrounding TDB’s financial management revealed that the audit report on the accounts of the 150 temples, schools and other institutions under the administration was still incomplete.
The court expressed concern over the continued reliance on archaic manual registers and paper vouchers, saying these allow potential forgery and misappropriation of funds.
Failure to conduct timely audits reflected gross administrative indifference. Such neglect made the board a passive agent and an active participant in financial indiscipline.
The temples’ divine assets cannot be left vulnerable to outdated books of accounts and missing records, the court added and directed the director of the audit department to appear before it on October 30.
Published – 19 Oct 2025 19:37 IST
