Kerala High Court Closes Suo Motu Case on Unauthorised Fund Collection for Sabarimala Idol; Directs Police to Complete Probe
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday closed the suo motu proceedings initiated into the alleged unauthorised collection of funds by a private individual for installing a Panchaloha idol of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala temple.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar directed the police to complete the investigation within four months. The Bench also instructed the police to deposit the seized amount of ₹6.14 lakh before the jurisdictional court.
The case relates to the alleged fund collection by the chairman of a private hospital in Erode. The matter came to the Court’s attention after the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, submitted a report on the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) granting permission for the idol installation. Following this, the Court had directed the police to register an FIR.
On Tuesday, the Bench noted that no further orders were required as the TDB had since withdrawn its permission for the installation.
Earlier in July, the High Court had stayed the permission allegedly granted by the TDB and ordered that safeguards be put in place to prevent any withdrawal of funds collected for the project and deposited in the account of the private entity.