Kerala High Court Admits Plea Seeking SOP For Making Appam And Aravana Prasadam In Sabarimala Temple
Tellmy Jolly
2 Nov 2024 3:00 PM IST
The Kerala High Court has admitted a plea moved by a devotee of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala Temple seeking a direction to the Travancore Devaswom Board to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure developed by an expert body for procurement, quality checking and analysis of the standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for preparing Appam and Aravana prasadam at the Temple.
The devotee also seeks a declaration that it is essential to set up a state of the art laboratory for inspection, sampling, testing and quality checking the ingredients used for preparing the Appam and Aravana.
The Division Bench of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice P.G. Ajithkumar issued notice to the officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board and the FSSAI. The Standing Counsel for the Devaswom Board and the Counsel appearing on behalf of FSSAI have sought time to get instructions.
The Devaswom Board informed the Court that the ingredients used for preparing the prasadam are procured in an e-tender process conducted every year before the festival season.
In 2023, the High Court restrained the supply of the Aravana on the ground that the cardamom used contained insecticide residues exceeding the permissible limits established by the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.
In Travancore Devaswom Board v. Ayyappa Spices (2022), the High Court noted that the Travancore Devaswom Board must ensure that the preparation of Aravana complies with all statutory requirements as per the Food Safety Act and Regulations at every stage of production, processing, import, distribution, and sale.
In Ayyappa Spices v Travancore Devaswom Board (2023), the High Court noted that the laboratory at Pamba in Sabarimala does not have facilities for testing cardamom and other items as per the requirements outlined in the Act and Regulations.
In the appeal filed by the Travancore Devaswom Board, the Apex Court set aside the High Court's order based on a report of the FSSAI that cardamom was fit for consumption as the pesticide presence was below the permissible limits. The Apex Court also noted that the Travancore Devaswom Board tested all the cardamom samples submitted by the bidders.
The matter has been posted to November 15.
Case Number: WP(C) NO. 38049 OF 2024(E)
Case Title: Dr. Mahendra Kumar P S v State of Kerala
