# Kerala HC appoints observer for Sabarimala Melsanthi selection 2026-09-30T05:07:11+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Kerala High Court has appointed former judge V.G. Arun as observer to oversee the selection of Melsanthies for Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples for 2026-27. The Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar acted on a report from the Sabarimala Special Commissioner. A total of 78 applications were received, 48 for Sabarimala and 30 for Malikappuram. After vigilance enquiry, five candidates were shortlisted for Sabarimala and three for Malikappuram. Interviews are scheduled for October 5 at the Travancore Devaswom Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, followed by a draw of lots. The court directed videography of proceedings, use of ball point pen for marks, and safe keeping of mark sheets countersigned by the observer. The observer must report to the court after interviews. The Board may proceed with the draw of lots only after court perusal of the report, shortlist, and video recording, with materials to be produced by October 15. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both LiveLaw and The Hindu delivered straight court-reporting, with no discernible slant. LiveLaw led with the observer's appointment and detailed procedural safeguards such as videography and mark-sheet custody, The Hindu led with the transparency objective and included the tenure dates. Neither outlet questioned the court's role or the selection process itself. The unified coverage reflects consensus that judicial oversight is routine. The practical test is whether the October 5 interviews and the subsequent draw proceed without a legal challenge, and whether the court's October 15 deadline for sealed records is met. The practical test is whether the October 5 interviews and the subsequent draw proceed without a legal challenge, and whether the court's October 15 deadline for sealed records is met. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - livelaw.in (neutral report) Detailed court order with procedural directives, no slant. - thehindu.com (neutral report) Straight report on transparency directions, no slant. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this brief, which was published automatically without a person reviewing it. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/ Tags: Kerala High Court, Sabarimala, Travancore Devaswom Board, V.G. Arun Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-hc-appoints-observer-for-sabarimala-melsanthi-selection/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-hc-appoints-observer-for-sabarimala-melsanthi-selection/#story-in-brief AI disclosure: Every summary and comment here is written by AI and published automatically, without a person reviewing each article. We do no original reporting. How this works: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/