The Kerala High Court has taken serious note of suspected irregularities in the booking process for the ‘Padi Pooja’ at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple and directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer to take custody of all related records and produce them before the court in a sealed cover.
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar passed the direction after a vigilance enquiry indicated that certain bookings were made using false or fictitious addresses and were subsequently transferred unauthorisedly for higher consideration.
The bench described the vigilance findings as “disturbing” and observed that if the allegations of fake bookings and their transfer for money were true, such conduct would be “abhorrent” and deserved to be deprecated.
It noted that when the vigilance officer insisted on proper identity verification, two persons who had made bookings failed to appear to perform the ritual. The court said this circumstance lent credence to apprehensions that the booking system may have been misused.
Sealed Cover Direction to Preserve Integrity of Records
Taking note of the seriousness of the issue, the court directed:
“We direct the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (Superintendent of Police) to forthwith take possession and secure custody of all registers and connected records relating to Padi Pooja bookings… The said records shall be produced before this court in a sealed cover to ensure their integrity and to facilitate proper judicial scrutiny.”
The court specifically sought details regarding how bookings have been made up to the year 2045.
The bench recorded the submission of the Executive Officer that Padi Pooja bookings have already been made up to 2045. It observed that the long waiting period highlighted both the immense demand for the ritual and the need for a transparent and strictly regulated system.
Emphasising that the matter was not merely administrative, the court held that it concerned the sanctity of temple rituals and the credibility of the booking process.
The Padi Pooja, performed on select days after the ‘pushpabhishekam’, involves decoration of the 18 sacred steps (pathinettampadi) with flowers and silk cloth, lighting traditional lamps, and concluding with ‘aarathi’ by the Thantri in the presence of the Melsanthi. The court noted the ritual carries immense religious significance for devotees and is conducted five times every month.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on March 4, when the court will examine the sealed records and consider the next course of action.
