KOCHI: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) informed the Kerala High Court on Thursday that a few packets of the jaggery supplied by Vardhan Agro Processing Ltd, Maharashtra to Sabarimala during the 2019 pilgrimage season had the ‘halal’ label.
“An inquiry was made and the company which supplied the jaggery replied they export the product and that a halal certification is necessary for sending it to Arab countries. For that purpose, they (the company) have taken halal certification which is an assurance of maintaining quality standards,” the TDB informed. The Board informed the court that quality of the materials used is always maintained in Sabarimala.
The board filed the statement in response to a petition filed by S J R Kumar, Kochi alleging the use of spoiled halal-certified jaggery powder for the preparation of nivedyam and prasadam at Sabarimala. The petitioner also sought a directive to ensure that only pure materials of high quality are used to prepare them.
The statement filed through TDB standing council G Biju said the allegations in the writ petitions are false and are made purposefully with the malicious intention to stall the sale of appam and Aravana in Sabarimala and to cause huge financial loss to the Board and thereby to torpedo the pilgrimage.
“There is a calculated attempt to attack the reputation of Sabarimala and to hurt the religious feelings of the pilgrims and thereby destroy the communal harmony through various posts published and circulated on social media. The Sabarimala executive officer has given a complaint in this regard to Sannidhanam police station,” stated TDB.
The Board clarified that the stock received at Pampa will be tested by the food and safety department and only after obtaining its clearance, it will be accepted in the Pampa godown. From Pampa, the jaggery is taken to the main store at Sabarimala as per requirement and availability of space, the TDB informed.
Spot booking for darshan begins
Sabarimala: Spot booking under virtual queue system for darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple began on Thursday. The opening of 10 spot booking counters, including at Nilakkal, Erumeli and Kumily, will help thousands of devotees visit the temple. With the weather improving, the government has removed most of the restrictions imposed on entry of devotees. The opening of the spot booking will benefit pilgrims from Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, said Sabarimala chief police coordinator ADGP S Sreejith. Those who does not have virtual queue passes or whose passes were expired can use the facility, he said.