On 3rd February, the Supreme Court issued notice in pleas challenging the Kerala High Court’s October 2025 ruling, which decided that temple shanthis or priests need not be appointed from any particular caste or lineage, and anyone who studied from the ‘Thanthra Vidyalayas’ recognised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board (KDRB) is eligible for appointment to such posts.
The Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing the petition filed by Akhila Kerala Thanthri Samajam and Agnisarman Vasudevan Bhattathirippad against the Kerala High Court’s order.
In addition to issuing a notice, the Supreme Court stated that any fresh appointments in the meantime will be subject to the outcome of the current petition.
It must be recalled that on 22nd October, the Kerala High Court dismissed a writ filed by Akhila Kerala Thanthri Samajam (AKTS) against the accreditation and recognition given to institutions deemed Thanthra Vidyalayas by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board (KDRB).
The KDRB’s announcements requiring a certificate from Tantra Vidya Peetoms as one of the requirements for being appointed as part-time shanthis (priests) in different temples were also contested by the petitioners.
Dismissing the petition, the bench comprising justices KV Jayakumar and Raja Vijyaraghavan stated that there was no essential religious practice that a temple priest must be from a particular caste or lineage.
The court also denied the petitioner’s argument that the appointment of Shanthis has been done according to the traditional practice and cannot be diluted by subordinate legislation.
The court asserted that the syllabus compiled by the KDRB includes Vedic texts, rituals, religious observances, and modes of worship, adding that these are imparted by qualified scholars and Thanthris. It further stated that the courses available extend for a period from one year to five years.
“The materials placed before us further reveal that the TDB and KDRB have established a rigorous institutional mechanism prior to granting accreditation,” the court said.
Rejecting the petitioner’s argument that only those trained under traditional priests should be appointed as Shanthis, the court said, “In such circumstances, to insist that a person must belong to a particular caste or lineage to be eligible for appointment cannot, in our considered view, be construed as an insistence upon an essential religious practice, rite, or mode of worship. No factual or legal foundation has been established to justify such a claim in the present case. The contention that individuals unconnected with spiritual functions are being considered for such posts and that this infringes the fundamental rights of the petitioners guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India is untenable.”
