Kerala HC orders discontinuation of Punyam Poonkavanam project

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the authorities to discontinue the 'Punyam Poonkavanam Project,' a community policing program, at the Sabarimala temple premises and its surrounding areas in Pathanamthitta district.

Through this project, begun in 2011, the temple town was kept clean and it involved the active participation of devotees, the police and other government departments.

A division bench comprising Justices Anil K. Narendran and S. Muralee Krishna issued the order following a preliminary police investigation, which uncovered unauthorised fund collection by the project's coordinator.

Additionally, the court instructed the state government to initiate suitable action against those responsible, based on the findings of the police investigation.

For the 2022-23 Sabarimala festival season, the Kerala Police had designated special officers and police controllers to work closely with and provide support to the project.

A suo motu case was initiated by the Kerala High Court after the Kottayam police chief brought to the attention of the Special Commissioner of the Sabarimala temple, through a letter written in March 2023, allegations of unauthorised collection of funds by the coordinator of the 'Punyam Poonkavanam Project' at Erumeli.

An investigation into the matter uncovered that funds were being collected from devotees in the name of the 'Punyam Poonkavanam Project' without the proper authorisation.

When the court heard about this, it expressed shock over the collection of funds from the devotees in the name of the project and ordered the state to stop the project.

Sabarimala temple, a sacred pilgrimage site in the Western Ghats, attracts millions annually. Devotees undergo a 41-day purification period before carrying the sacred 'Irumudi' kit up the temple's 18 steps.

(inputs from IANS)