HC directs vigilance to seize Padi Pooja booking records

Kochi: The Kerala high court has directed the chief vigilance and security officer of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to take possession of all registers and connected records relating to the bookings of Padi Pooja — a ritual involving the pooja of the 18 holy steps at Sannidhanam — at the Sabarimala temple and to place the same before the court on March 4 in a sealed cover.A bench comprising Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar issued the order in response to a report submitted by the Sabarimala special commissioner, which indicated certain malpractices in the booking of Padi Pooja at the temple. Padi Pooja is one of the most sacred and spiritually significant rituals performed at the Sabarimala temple and is symbolically associated with the sanctity of the holy steps. Five such poojas are performed every month and the executive officer has stated that bookings for Padi Pooja have already been made up to the year 2045.According to the special commissioner's report, a recent vigilance inquiry unearthed that certain individuals secured bookings by furnishing false or fictitious addresses and allegedly transferred such bookings to third parties for higher consideration. The amicus curiae also submitted that when the vigilance officer insisted on proper identity verification, two individuals who had made bookings failed to appear to solemnise the Padi Pooja. Additionally, a prayer has been made seeking a direction to the executive officer to publish, at least one year in advance, the names and details of devotees who have booked Padi Poojas, to ensure transparency and public scrutiny. The court was further asked to issue a direction to the chief vigilance and security officer to ensure that only genuine devotees who have lawfully secured bookings are permitted to perform the ritual and that no unauthorised transfer or substitution is allowed.Noting these facts, the court observed that if the allegations are true, such conduct would be abhorrent and deserves to be deprecated. The issue raised is not merely administrative in nature but concerns the sanctity of temple rituals and the credibility of the booking process. The court also noted that the executive officer had already been directed to appear before it on March 4 in connection with another case. Additionally, the bench directed the chief vigilance and security officer to produce records relating to the Padi Pooja bookings, including details of how bookings up to the year 2045 were effected.