The Kerala High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to exercise due caution when procuring materials for “Nivedyam and Prasadam” so that they conform to prescribed quality standards and religious customs at the Sabarimala Temple. 

The Division Bench of Justices V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar also directed the Board to incorporate the necessary conditions in the e-tender documents to ensure that the quantity of jaggery supplied by the manufacturer were unsuitable.

The Bench considered a petition filed by a Lord Ayyappa devotee in 2021 claiming that the Board had procured “Halal-certified jaggery powder” to prepare Prasadam at Sabarimala Temple, allegedly in violation of the rituals and customs prevailing in the Hindu community.

The petitioner stated that this jaggery was prepared in accordance with the religious practices of another religion, and offering it to the deity would violate long-standing religious customs and rituals followed at the Temple.

The petitioner alleged that the tenderer supplied spoiled jaggery in plastic bags, clearly violating the tender conditions and sought directions for penalty under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Rules, 2011. He also claimed that the use of spoiled Halal-certified jaggery powder would pose health hazards to innocent devotees.

The petition also sought directions to the Board to ensure that only “Satwik” and pure, high-quality ingredients are used to prepare Nivedyam and Prasadam at the Temple.

In response, the Board stated that due to COVID-19, Prasadam was required only in limited quantities during 2019-2020, and the remaining jaggery was stored at Sabarimala Sannidhanam for a considerable period. After testing in April 2021 and September 2021, the jaggery was found to be unusable. Accordingly, they were auctioned off to clear the godown.

The Board pointed out that the auction notice clearly stated that the stock was unusable to prepare the Vazhipaadu.

As of November 2021, 2.11 lakh kilogrammes of jaggery was in stock at the Sannidhanam, according to the Board.

The jaggery was provided by the supplier in food-grade plastic packaging to preserve quality, and a few packets, the Board noted, were marked with Halal certification. Upon enquiry, the Board found that the supplier had obtained the certification for exporting the product to Gulf countries.

The Sabarimala Special Commissioner also affirmed the Board’s findings. The designated Food Safety Officer assured that the declaration of Halal certification on the packaging does not contravene the provisions of the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006. The court found merit in the Food Safety Laboratory reports on the tested jaggery powder. 

The court observed that the Board should have ensured that the jaggery supplied did not bear any symbols, markings or declarations that could give rise to an apprehension of conflict with the religious customs and practices followed at the Temple.

It found that the quality of the jaggery supplied was satisfactory and that the testing did not reveal any substance or element which would render it unsuitable for use in the preparation of Prasadam.