KOCHI: The High Court on Monday directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the state government to file a statement on a petition seeking to lift the ban on the performance of art forms at Kalamandapam in front of the Valiya Nadapandal in Sabarimala.
M J Sivakumar, a Sopanam singer from Pathanamthitta, filed the petition against the ban on performing the art forms, including the Ayyappa Sopana Sangeetham. S Subash Chand, his counsel, submitted the ban violated the fundamental rights of Ayyappa devotees, including the petitioner’s.
TDB had constructed a Kalamandapam with an inbuilt sound system to allow artists who are Ayyappa devotees, to perform. However, the police imposed an absolute restriction on staging performances there. Despite repeated requests by the petitioner, TDB did not allow the staging of Sopana Sangeetham at Kalamandapam, citing law and order issues, he submitted. The court posted the case to December 19.