KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has taken serious note of suspected irregularities in connection with ‘Badi Puja’ at Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala and ordered the chief vigilance officer there to keep all records related to the ritual.
A bench directed Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar, chief vigilance and security officer, to produce the records before the court in a sealed cover “to ensure their integrity and facilitate proper judicial scrutiny”.
The court issued this direction after a vigilant investigation found instances of unauthorized transfer, of some ‘Padi Pooja’ bookings, made by providing false or fictitious addresses, for further consideration.
‘Padi Pooja’ is an 18-step sacred puja ‘pathinettampadi’, which is held on specified days after floral bathing of the deity called ‘pushpabhiskeham’.
The puja is performed in the evening and is performed by the tantric in the presence of Melsanthi.
The hour-long ritual concludes with the eighteen sacred steps being decorated with flowers and silk fabrics after lighting traditional lamps at each step with the performance of ‘arathi’ by the thantri.
The court observed that five such pujas are performed every month and participation in the rituals holds immense religious value for devotees.
“The executive has mentioned that Padi Pooja bookings have already been taken till 2045.
“The fact that the reservations extend nearly two decades into the future underscores both the demand for rituals and the need for a transparent and strictly regulated system,” she said.
The council described the vigilance’s findings into fake bookings and unauthorized transfers of money as “disturbing” and said: “If true, this behavior is abhorrent and must be condemned.”
The amicus curiae told the court in the case that when the vigilance officer insisted on proper identification verification, two people who had booked failed to turn up for the badi puja.
“This circumstance lends credence to concerns about possible misuse of the reservation system,” the Board noted.
She said that the issue at hand is not only of an administrative nature, but rather relates to the sanctity of temple rituals and the credibility of the reservation process.
“In this view, we direct the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer to immediately seize and securely store all logs and records associated with the Padi Pooja bookings, including the manner in which the bookings were made up to 2045.
“The said records shall be produced before this court in a sealed cover to ensure their integrity and facilitate proper judicial scrutiny,” the court directed the matter and referred it for further hearing on March 4.
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