Sabarimala: Kerala High Court seeks State response on plea alleging use of spoiled halal jaggery for preparing prasadam

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday sought the response of the State government and the Travancore Devaswom Board to a plea seeking directions to immediately stop the use of what is alleged to be "impure Halal Jaggery" for the preparation of Nivedyam/prasad at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala (SJR Kumar v. Travancore Devaswom Board).A Division Bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and PG Ajithkumar, while directing the State to file its response by tomorrow, also directed the Sabarimala Special Commissioner to file a report on the matter immediately. .The petition was filed by the General Convenor of Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an organization formed to protect the customs and traditions at Sabarimala Temple. He claimed to have worked with Hindu organisations for over a decade and is also a party to the pending proceedings of the Sabarimala case before the Supreme Court of India..The plea, filed through advocate V Sajith Kumar, expands on the meanings of nivedyam and prasada as follows:"Hindus make offering of food to the Lord and later partake of it as Prasada, a holy gift from the God. What is offered to the God is Nivedyam and when it comes back to the devotees, it becomes Prasada. It is believed that Prasada has deities’ blessings residing within it."According to the petitioner, this makes it imperative that the Nivedyam offered to the deity is out of pure/satwik materials and use of any other impure material will result in "divine displeasure"This is even more necessary in case of Lord Ayyappa (the deity at Sabarimala temple) as even the devotees are expected to follow a Satwik diet during the 41-day-period of fasting prior to their pilgrimage to Sabarimala temple..The two important prasada at Sabarimala temple are Aravana payasam and appam.It is the claim of the petitioner that devotees have recently been surprised from news reports that claim that the temple administration have allegedly been using spoiled halal jaggery powder for the preparation of nivedyam/prasada at Sabarimala.This is contended to be illegal on two fronts:use of spoiled materials would create health hazards to the innocent devotees;use of Halal certified jaggery which is prepared as per the religious practices of another religion in the temple and offering the same to the deity would amount to serious violation of religious customs and rituals followed at the temple from time immemorial.."The religious scholars of the Muslim community have been proclaiming publicly that saliva is a necessary ingredient for certifying Halal in the preparation of food materials. The religious scholars took the above view by interpreting holy texts and its valid interpretations. However, different views were also expressed by a section of religious leaders. In view of the recent controversy as regards spitting on food materials to make it Halal and the responses from religious scholars, people at large are highly anxious and obnoxious on the use of Halal certified food materials even for the household purposes. It is highly disheartening to see that the food materials prepared following the rituals and religious practices of another religion with its certification is accepted as food material for the preparation of Nivedyam/Prasada in a Hindu temple having its own rituals and customs," the plea said..Further, it was also contended that the jaggery is obtained by the Devaswom board through e-tender and as such tenderer is liable to be prosecuted in case of variations from the prescribed standards under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation 2011.Therefore, it was argued that the actions on the part of the temple administration are highly illegal and violative of Hindu customary rituals and religious rights guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution of India..The matter will be heard next on Thursday, November 18.[Read Order]