Dileep's Sabarimala visit; Devaswom Board agrees there was lapse; notice to four officials

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Notice to four Devaswom officials in the incident of giving special treatment to actor Dileep during Harivarasanam at Sabarimala. President of Travancore Devaswom Board PS Prashanth said that it was found that the officials had a lapse in the incident. He also clarified that further action will be taken after hearing the explanation from the officials.

The notices were issued to the administrative officer, executive officer and two guards. Vigilance had found that the darshan was interrupted for some time as Dileep was given VIP treatment. The board had earlier stated that precautions will be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again and action will be taken against the defaulting officials.

Tens of thousands of devotees visit Sabarimala every day. Facilitating a smooth darshan for all the devotees who come crossing the forest and hills to see Ayyappan is of paramount importance to the Travancore Devaswom Board. The board also said that it is committed to providing basic facilities and a peaceful darsan for all.

Dileep reached Sabarimala on Friday. He did darshan just before the nada closed for the night. The actor left after Harivarasanam. The Devaswom Board had to face severe criticism from the High Court on Dileep's visit to Sabarimala. A Devaswom bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and S Muralikrishna has directed to produce CCTV footage of the actor's darshan on a pen drive. The matter will be taken up again on Monday. The board has also been instructed to file a detailed affidavit on the same day.