The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain pleas challenging the Kerala High Court’s order that permitted the Travancore Devaswom Board to go ahead with its plan to host a global conclave of Ayyappa devotees, scheduled for September 20 on the banks of the river Pampa.
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar dismissed the petitions and declined to interfere with the high court’s September 11 ruling, which had set out several safeguards to ensure the sanctity of Sabarimala and the ecological balance of the river.
The Kerala High Court had made it clear that while the conclave — termed the Global Ayyappa Sangamam — could proceed, the Travancore Devaswom Board must exercise strict discretion. It prohibited any permanent or temporary structures that might compromise the sanctity of the riverbanks and mandated that rituals and ceremonies linked to Sabarimala should not be disturbed during the event.
The court also directed the Board to ensure that no plastic bottles, cups, or other non-biodegradable waste were used or generated during the conclave. Immediate measures were to be taken to remove any inadvertent waste.
Given the expected participation of dignitaries, including chief ministers, ministers from neighbouring states, and foreign invitees, the high court emphasized that their presence must not impair facilities for ordinary pilgrims. All participants, it stressed, should be treated solely as devotees of Lord Ayyappa, without any preferential access to the temple or related activities.
Before the high court, petitioners had argued that the event was essentially political, contending that the government had initiated the idea and the Board was being used to lend a religious colour. They questioned whether such a conclave was consistent with the traditions of the pilgrimage.
The Travancore Devaswom Board, however, defended the Sangamam as a unique spiritual, cultural, and developmental conclave organised in cooperation with the Kerala government. It assured that the programme was designed to respect religious customs and would not infringe upon the sanctity of the pilgrimage.
With the Supreme Court declining to intervene, preparations for the global gathering of devotees at Pampa are set to proceed under the framework laid down by the Kerala High Court.
