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The Kerala High Court on Saturday disqualified Vellappally Natesan from the position of General Secretary of the SNDP (Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana) Yogam.
In January, Vellappally Natesan was conferred the Padma Bhushan 2026 for his services in public service. He dedicated the award to SNDP Yogam workers, calling it a reflection of their collective efforts and sacrifices. "I have received such an award, and I am happy... this was given in recognition of my social, economic, and community-based activities. I accept this honour with great joy. The reason I was able to achieve this is because of the lakhs of community workers and followers standing behind me. It is their hard work that led to this award... I dedicate this to the workers of the SNDP Yogam and at the feet of the Guru. This is a victory for the community members and their sacrifices, not just for Vellappally Natesan," he said. Earlier in October 2025, Vellappally Natesan had heavily criticised Kerala's temple administration system, questioning whether "Devaswom Boards have become a curse." Criticising the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for sending gold-plated panels from the temple's Dwarapalaka idols to Chennai for repair without informing the High Court, Natesan wrote in 'Yoganadam', the official mouthpiece of the SNDP Yogam, that such an incident is "deeply painful for Ayyappa devotees" and highlighted that the allegations about financial irregularities and the involvement of middlemen reflected a "rotting system" within temple management." Devaswom Boards have become synonymous with corruption and mismanagement. From the theft of gold and priceless temple assets to land encroachments and manipulation of court orders, the system reeks of decay," Natesan wrote. He alleged in the article that the five autonomous temple boards in Kerala -- Travancore, Cochin, Malabar, Guruvayur, and Koodalmanikyam are Devaswom in name only, as their functioning is directly controlled by the government through political appointments. "Their autonomy is a myth. Governments appoint board members and presidents based on politics, not merit," he said. Calling for a professional restructuring of temple governance, Natesan urged the government to reduce its direct control and introduce a transparent, community-driven management model. He wrote, "It's time to end this jungle rule of Devaswom governance. Governments should not have to bear the stench of corruption from these boards." (ANI)
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