No approval to install idol on Sabarimala premises, TDB informs HC

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Kochi – The Kerala High Court on Thursday addressed a controversial issue regarding the unauthorized collection of funds by a private individual for the installation of a 'Panchaloha Vigraham'—an idol crafted from an alloy of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and iron—of Lord Ayyappa within the premises of the Sabarimala temple. A division bench comprising Justices Anil K. Narendran and S. Muralee Krishna issued a directive to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple, to clarify that no individual has been authorized to install such an idol or collect funds for this purpose.

The court’s intervention followed a report by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, which highlighted concerns over a pamphlet circulated by EK Sahadevan, Chairman of Lotus Multispeciality Hospital and IVF Fertility Centre in Erode, Tamil Nadu. The pamphlet allegedly claimed that the TDB had granted permission to install a 2-foot-tall, 108-kg Panchaloha Vigraham at an estimated cost of Rs 9 lakh. It further provided a bank account number and a mobile number for public contributions. However, the report clarified that the Sabarimala tantri, the temple’s chief priest, was unaware of any such initiative and stated that installing an idol would violate sacred temple rituals and compromise the sanctity of the principal deity.

In a contradictory development, the Special Commissioner’s report included a communication from the TDB secretary to the Sabarimala executive officer, suggesting that the board had approved the idol’s installation, provided it did not interfere with the temple’s structure or rituals. However, during the hearing, the TDB’s standing counsel, acting on telephonic instructions from the executive officer, informed the court that no official permission had been granted for either the idol’s installation or the collection of funds.

The bench directed the TDB to issue an advisory on the Virtual-Q platform, explicitly stating that no authorization exists for the installation of the idol or related fundraising activities. Additionally, the court instructed the TDB’s counsel to produce relevant files concerning the communication by Friday, adjourning the matter for further consideration.