KOCHI: Kerala High Court on Thursday observed that the directive to ensure uninterrupted movement of pilgrims in front of the sopanam of Sabarimala temple was openly flouted by the visit of actor Dileep on December 5.
It affected the right to worship of pilgrims, which included children of tender age, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities. “It is a very serious issue. Pilgrims were virtually blocked for over seven minutes,” observed a division bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S.
The court also directed the chief police co-ordinator, Sabarimala, to take necessary steps to ensure that no pilgrims are permitted to stand in front of the sopanam for a long time as in the case of the actor, blocking the darshan of other pilgrims.
The Bench which viewed the CCTV footage of the actor’s visit in open court noted that the movement of pilgrims through the first row in front of sopanam was blocked from the southern side by the devaswom guard on duty at 10:58:10 pm when the actor entered the sopanam from the southern side. Till the actor left the sopanam, none of the pilgrims standing in the first row were permitted to move forward.
Counsel for the TDB submitted that based on the report of the chief vigilance and security officer (SP), it has already issued show-cause notices to the administrative officer and assistant executive officer, Sabarimala, and to two devaswom guards.
‘Neither ruling party nor oppn can be allowed to hold public meetings in violation of court order’
The Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the state police chief to file a report on the incident in which a road in Thiruvananthapuram, was blocked by erecting a stage for CPM party event on December 5.
The court orally observed that neither the ruling front nor the opposition can be permitted to hold public meetings by blocking the right of way of the people.
“Since the government holds the road as trustee of people, the incident is a clear case of breach of trust. This is not something that can be taken lightly. The police should be in a position to discharge its duties. There can be no special criteria for the ruling front or the opposition,” the HC said.