The Kerala High Court on Tuesday told the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to exercise greater care while procuring supplies for making Nivedyam/ Prasadam at the Sabarimala temple after a plea raised objections to the use of halal certified jaggery in the preparations [SJR Kumar v The Travancore Devaswom Board & ors].
A Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar said that the board should have ensured that the supplies for the temple did not carry symbols or declaration that could create concerns over whether the materials complied with the religious customs followed at Sabarimala.
"Ideally, the Travancore Devaswom Board ought to have exercised greater care to ensure that the quantity of jaggery supplied by the manufacturer did not bear symbols, markings or declarations that could give rise to an apprehension of conflict with the religious customs and practices followed at the Temple," the Court added.
The Court, however, found no issue with the quality of the jaggery as the laboratory reports showed that it was satisfactory and did not contain any substance or element that made it unsuitable for preparing Prasadam.
The case arose in 2021, after a petition was filed by SJR Kumar, a devotee of Lord Ayappa, raising objections to the use of expired or Halal-certified jaggery for preparing Aravana Paysam and Unniyappam.
He had stated in his plea that use of spoiled materials would create health hazards for the innocent devotees and added that offerings before the deity carrying certification associated with another religion would violate the customs and rituals of Sabarimala temple.
The TDB told the Court that Vardhan Agro Processing Limited, Maharashtra had supplied nearly 20 lakh kilograms of jaggery to the board during the 2019-20 season and a few of those packets carried the label 'Halal JUH/HRC/437/2018.'
According to the board, the manufacturer had explained that it exported jaggery to Arab countries and had obtained Halal certification for that purpose.
The Special Commissioner, Sabarimala similarly reported that the certification was affixed to the packaging because Halal declaration was required for exports to certain Middle Eastern countries.
The designated Food Safety Officer also stated that such a declaration did not violate the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The Court examined the quality testing reports from the Food Safety Laboratory and found that the jaggery supplied by the company was satisfactory on the parameters tested.
Thus, taking note of the TDB's undertaking that greater caution would be taken while procuring supplies for the temple in the future, the Court disposed of the petition by directing the board to incorporate appropriate conditions in future e-tenders.
Such conditions, the Court said, should ensure that materials purchased for the Prasadam conform to prescribed quality standards as well as the religious customs and requirements followed to the Sabarimala temple.
Advocates MK Sumod, Vidya MK, Sudhir Nambiar PV, Rema TP, Thushara K and Meera S Gopan appeared for the petitioner.
Standing counsel G Biju represented the Travancore Devaswom Board.
[Read Judgment]