KOCHI: Kerala High Court on Wednesday set aside the permission granted by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to a Delhi-based trust for holding a nine-day-long ‘Ramakatha’ programme at the Pampa Manappuram.
The court passed the order in a suo motu case initiated by the court based on a news report on leasing out a portion of the Manappuram by the TDB for the programme. The news report also said that steps were being taken to clean the surroundings and put up a ‘pandal’ there.
The court observed that the site was meant for providing facilities for devotees arriving for ‘darsan’ or pilgrimage and therefore, a programme meant exclusively for followers of the trust could not be permitted there.
The court observed that “no land on the Pampa Manappuram can be exclusively used for any such activity, thereby causing inconvenience to pilgrims.” Before granting any such permission, the board should consult the forest authorities as the area is lying close to the Periyar Tiger Reserve.