Kerala moves SC against HC order increasing number of pilgrims to Sabarimala to 5000

The Kerala government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the state High Court's verdict allowing 5000 pilgrims per day to the Sabarimala temple. The state argued that  it will put a "great strain" on police personnel and health officials in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state government, in its petition filed in the apex court against the December 18 judgement of the Kerala High Court, has said the state had constituted a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary which had set the number of pilgrims per day to 2,000 on weekdays and 3,000 on weekends respectively.

It is said in the petition that to control the pandemic during the Makaravilakku season at Sabarimala, between December 20 and January 21, 2021, the state had constituted the high-level committee to consider all aspects and to fix the number of pilgrims who can be permitted per day to visit the shrine.

The petition said that a meeting held on December 14, considered the report submitted by revised health advisory of the Health and Family Welfare Department and enhanced the number of pilgrims per day to 2,000 on weekdays and 3,000 on weekends.

The HC disposed of the writ petitions filed by some of the respondents herein, with a direction to the government to increase the number of pilgrims per day to 5,000. The petition filed by state through advocate G Prakash said that the enhancement of pilgrims was done by the high court without considering any proper report or other documents it was also added in the petition that number of police officials, health officials and pilgrims affected by COVID-19 in the Sabarimala temple so far is on the higher side.

The petition says that entry to the temple is controlled by a virtual queue managed by police and pilgrims are tested for COVID-19 before allowing them to enter the temple, that increase in the number of pilgrims will strain the officials.

As an interim relief, the plea has sought ex-parte stay of the high court order which was passed on a batch of petitions including those seeking direction to enhance the permissible number of pilgrims per day.

Earlier this year, the apex court had constituted a nine-judge Constitution bench to deliberate upon issues pertaining to the scope of freedom of religion as also of judicial scrutiny into "essential religious practices" of separate "religious denominations".

These issues have arisen out of a judgement in the Sabarimala temple case.

The nine-judge bench has been set up after a five-judge bench, by a 3:2 majority verdict, had referred the matter to a larger bench while examining the review petition filed against the historic September 28, 2018 judgement which had allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple.

PTI Inputs