Sabarimala Kalabhabhishekam; High Court seeks police report

KOCHI: High Court has directed the Controller and Special Officer (Police) of Sannidhanam to submit a report on the incident of the Devaswom Board taking the entire amount despite providing the Kalabham for Kalabhabhishekam at Sabarimala. Yesterday, the controller and special officer was joined as a party in the case taken up by the High Court following Kerala Kaumudi news. The plea will be heard again today.

Rs 38,400 is to be paid for Kalabhabhishekam. The case was based on the fact that the Devaswom board had taken the entire amount from a journalist from Kollam on November 17, while devotees were required to pay only the Devaswom fee of Rs 12,500 if they bought the sandalwood.

Kerala Kaumudi had also reported that the Devaswom Board is not buying sandalwood for Kalabhabhishekam from the Forest Department. It was then that the High Court intervened in the matter. The Sabarimala Devaswom Executive Officer had given a report in this regard to the Devaswom Commissioner on November 25. The report was presented by the board's counsel in the High Court yesterday. The report was prepared by the Executive Officer based on the report given by the Sabarimala Administrative Officer on November 22.

The board clarified that the Kalabhabhishekam was booked by providing Kalabham for the offering and that the media worker conducts the Kalabhabhishekam every year on Vrischikam 1. According to the report, devotees are not allowed to bring kalabham but the kalabham brought by the person was used considering that he is a media worker. It is in this context that the High Court sought the police report.