Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam will introduce a comprehensive Malabar Devaswom Bill to restructure the governance of temples under the Malabar Devaswom Board in the next Assembly session, Minister K Muraleedharan said on Monday.

Speaking in the Assembly while moving the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2026, for referral to a Select Committee, the Devaswom minister said the proposed legislation would seek to strengthen the powers of the Devaswom Board and reduce the control exercised by temple trustees.

He said 1,403 temples currently come under the Malabar Devaswom Board, of which only 115 generate income, while the remaining temples depend entirely on government funding.

Rejecting allegations that the government uses Devaswom funds to pay salaries, Muraleedharan said the government provides financial assistance to temples and does not take money from their funds.

However, the Malabar Devaswom Board needs restructuring as it continues to function under an old law, resulting in financial losses for the government, he said.

Unlike the Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Boards, the Malabar Devaswom Board has limited administrative powers, with trustees retaining control over several temples, the minister said.

A bill to reform the system was prepared during the previous government's tenure and was with the Law Department.

The government is reviewing the bill and making necessary changes before introducing comprehensive legislation in the next Assembly session, he said.

"The authority should rest with the Devaswom Board, not the trustees," Muraleedharan said.

Explaining the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the minister said it seeks to replace the Fasli year with the financial year for maintaining accounts and conducting audits of religious institutions governed by the Act.

The Fasli year runs from January to December, while the financial year extends from April to March.

The change is intended to align the Malabar Devaswom Board's accounting system with the state government's financial year, he said.

He said most temples under the board depend on grants from the state government, making it necessary to eliminate discrepancies between the two accounting systems.

The amendment proposes changes to Sections 70, 71, 76 and 79 of the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1951, to replace references to the Fasli year with the financial year.

CPI(M) MLA T M Shashi suggested that the amendment be opened to public opinion before proceeding further.

However, as no objections were raised, the motion was passed and the bill was referred to the Select Committee for consideration.