Kerala High Court Seeks Details On TDB–NIC MoU For Digital Governance Of Devaswom Institution

The directions were given by the division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar, while considering a matter concerning the embezzlement of ₹40 lakh from a petrol pump run by TDB at Nilakkal, a base camp of Sabarimala pilgrims.

The Court had earlier ordered for digitalisation of all the accounts of the Board and sought a comprehensive report in the matter, noting that the Board administers 1,250 temples.

Following this, it was brought to the notice of the Court that a Memorandum of Understanding dated 20.12.24 have been entered by NIC and TDB for implementation of computerisation and digital governance projects, including the design and deployment of an integrated software platform for managing temple administration, revenue streams, audit workflows and devotee services.

The Court has thus directed NIC, impleaded as additional 2nd Respondent to submit a detailed affidavit containing aspects, including the system, design framework, implementation milestones, data migration plan, and the estimated timeframe within which the software can be fully operationalised, ensuring compliance with governmental cybersecurity and audit standards.

The matter is posted on October 22, for further consideration.

Case No: DBAR No. 2/2025

Case Title: Joint Director v. Secretary, Travancore Devaswom Board

Counsel for Respondent: G Biju(SC - TDB), O M Shalina (DSGI)

Click Here To Read/ Download Interim Order