KOCHI: The High Court on Saturday directed the state government to permit a nine-year-old girl to visit Sabarimala with her parents. A division bench comprising Justice P B Suresh Kumar and Justice K Babu issued the order while allowing a petition filed by Nanditha Raj of Vaikom. P G Jayasankar, counsel for the petitioner, said her parents had made a vow before her birth that they would take the child once for Sabarimala darshan.
In order to fulfil it, the parents applied for darshan through the temple’s portal. Though the parents got bookings, the girl’s request was rejected. The counsel stated that she will turn 10 on June 8. Last year, on account of the spread of the pandemic and the consequent lockdown, she was not able to visit the Ayyappa temple. She tried to book through the virtual queue booking system, but it failed.
Nanditha said if she is not permitted to visit the temple before she turns 10, she will not be able to visit the temple for another four decades.The petition stated that the action on the part of the state police chief in not enabling her to apply for the virtual queue system to have darshan was violative of her right under Article 25 of the Constitution. The court directed the state police to ensure that she is able to visit the temple along with her parents on the day on which they have got booking for darshan.