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Apex court allows VIP darshan at Sabarimala

J. Venkatesan

Order will be implemented in letter and spirit: TDB president

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Friday, allowed VIP darshan in the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, as suggested by the Travancore Devaswom Board and the Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court, without causing obstruction to devotees standing in the general queue.

While staying a Kerala High Court judgment banning the entry of VIPs inside the cabin in front of the sanctum sanctorum, the apex court had asked the Board to submit proposals on the procedure to be followed in allowing VIP darshan. The Bench was hearing a special leave petition filed by Ravikumar against the High Court order.

When the matter came up for hearing on Friday before a Bench of Justice Ashok Bhan and Justice Dalveer Bhandari, senior counsels K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the Board, and T.L. Viswanath Iyer, appearing for the Special Commissioner, said the differences on allowing VIP darshan had been sorted out and a joint memo was presented to the court.

Accepting the memo, the Bench disposed of the matter with liberty to the parties to approach the court within six months if there was any difficulty in carrying out the arrangement.

The Board said 15 categories of persons would be allowed in the front cabin. They included the president and two members of the Board; Special Commissioner; three officials carrying Thanka Anki from the Aranmula temple for Mandalapuja on the day on which it was brought to the temple; members of the Pandalam Palace and officers of the Board carrying Thiruvabharanom on January 14 every year; VIPs accompanied by up to four persons; and former VIPs.

With regard to Udayasthamana puja and Padi puja, it was submitted that devotees who had booked them would be permitted entry, but limited to six family members. Nitya puja, Utcha puja and Usha puja tickets were being issued a day before, and devotees who had booked the first five tickets each day for each of the pujas would be allowed VIP darshan. Further, children and the physically disabled would be allowed darshan from a raised platform on the left side of the queue without causing any obstruction to the devotees standing in the general queue.

Welcomes order

Pathanamthitta Staff Reporter writes:

Travancore Devsawom Board president G. Raman Nair welcomed the order of the Supreme Court.

He told presspersons at Sabarimala on Friday that the Board would implement the order of the apex court in letter and spirit without causing inconvenience to devotees.

Reacting to the appointment of a high-power committee by the Kerala High Court to inquire into allegations of corruption and malpractice in the Board, he said the committee should also investigate the functioning of the Board over the past 15 years.

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