Kerala HC asks Guruvayur Devaswom to consider consultant for digital overhaul

The Kerala High Court directed the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee to consider appointing an institutional consultant to modernise its administrative and financial systems. The court stressed that an integrated digital platform would enhance transparency, accountability, auditing and overall administrative efficiency

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee to consider engaging a reputed institutional consultant to undertake a comprehensive study of its existing administrative and financial processes.

A bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar said that the Devaswom can consider the services of the Centre for Management Development (CMD), an autonomous institution under the Government of Kerala, or the State e-Governance Mission Team (SeMT) under the National e-Governance Division, or any other institution possessing comparable expertise.

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The court said that the consultant will evaluate the present systems, identify deficiencies and gaps, audit the existing workflow, and recommend the adoption of suitable enterprise software solutions capable of integrating the various functions of the Devaswom into a seamless digital platform.

The study shall specifically examine the feasibility of developing an integrated system capable of tracking receipts, expenditure, donations, contracts, inventories, assets, and every other income-generating and expenditure-related activity of the Devaswom in real time, it said.

It further said that the consultant shall also examine the feasibility of providing a secure digital dashboard through which the statutory auditors and other authorised supervisory authorities can monitor financial transactions, verify compliance, track audit observations, and access relevant records without unnecessary delay.

“Based on the report and recommendations so received, the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee will be able to take appropriate and coordinated steps to modernise and upgrade its existing software infrastructure by implementing a comprehensive enterprise-level digital management system,” the court said.

It said that such a system would not only strengthen financial discipline and transparency but would also facilitate more effective auditing, improve administrative efficiency, minimise the possibility of errors and irregularities, and inspire greater public confidence in the administration of one of the most important public religious institutions in the state.

The direction to engage the consultant came after the bench noted that the absence of an integrated and comprehensive digital management system has resulted in fragmented record-keeping, difficulties in monitoring financial transactions, and challenges in effectively auditing the affairs of the Devaswom.

“In an institution of the stature and magnitude of the Guruvayur Devaswom, where substantial public funds are received and administered and where numerous activities are undertaken through different wings, the existence of a robust enterprise-level management system is indispensable for ensuring transparency, accountability, and efficient administration,” the court said.

The issues came to light during the statutory audit of the Guruvayur Devaswom. The Audit Department told the court that it found that while implementing modern technology to facilitate cashless transactions and to provide speedy assistance to the devotee, the Devaswom failed to formulate a flawless system to account for the amount collected through the various applications and machines, like E-Hundi or credit/debit card swiping kiosks.

The Department had also claimed a lack of cooperation from the Devaswom’s side in the audit process. The court, therefore, directed the Senior Deputy Director, Kerala State Audit Department, Guruvayur Devaswom Audit, to appear before it on July 28 and apprise it of the present status of the audit.