Arbitrary appointment at Sabarimala must end
An allegation that was raised earlier was that the arbitrary appointment of helpers in Sabarimala paves the way for many unworthy people to enter the sannidhanam. Those accused in criminal cases have entered there in the past with the connivance of the Melshanthi and Devaswom Board representatives. Even Unnikrishnan Potty, the first accused in the Sabarimala gold robbery case, entered Sabarimala years ago as the Melshanthi's assistant. Even those who are not experienced in shanthi work enter with the help of recommendations. These people are behind many undesirable things in Sabarimala.
No one is willing to question even their illegal activities since they are closely associated with the Melshanthi and the Tantri. These people make a lot of money during the Mandala Pooja season by targeting the rich devotees who come to Sabarimala from other states and providing them with special facilities for darshan. The High Court's intervention the other day was to prevent the infiltration of such people. The High Court has ordered that a panel be prepared to appoint assistants to the Melshanthi in Sabarimala. The court has said that the Melshanthi should stop appointing assistants to the Melshanthi, Kazhagam and Ulkazhagam as they wish.
The appointment of Shantis from other temples as assistants should be considered. Those who are included in the panel should be honest. The Devaswom bench has ordered that a report from the Devaswom Vigilance and Special Branch should also be sought for this purpose. The order was made after the court disposed of a suo motu petition based on the report of the Special Commissioner. The report was in the context that Unnikrishnan Potty, who came to Sabarimala as an assistant, paved the way for gold theft. The current practice is that the assistants are appointed by the Melshanthi and others. The court pointed out that this should be stopped and that it is dangerous to appoint assistants without any verification for low remuneration in a place like Sabarimala.
The Melshanthi can appoint 35 people as assistants. Usually, young people who are related to the Melshanthi's family and other people are appointed. The Devaswom Board will pay Rs. 450 per day to the 24 assistants of the Sabarimala Melshanthi and the 10 assistants of the Malikappuram Melshanthi. The 10 assistants of the Ulkazhakam will also be paid Rs. 250 per day. The practice is that the Melshanthi themselves should pay the remuneration if more people are appointed. It is not this small remuneration that attracts the assistants to Sabarimala. Many people earn many times this remuneration in a single day. All this is an open secret in Sabarimala. With the High Court order, a police clearance certificate will be mandatory for the assistants. The court has also clarified that the respective Melshanthi will be fully responsible for them. It is hoped that this intervention of the court will prevent at least some unworthy people from entering Sabarimala during the Mandala Pooja season.