The bench which perused the latter’s statement said the Maharashtra-based company which supplies jaggery to the Board also exports to certain Middle East “and that it was for the purpose of such exports that the packaging bore the halal certification.”Deciding on a plea against the use of halal-certified jaggery at the Sabarimala hill shrine, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the temple’s administrative body, the Travancore Devaswom Board, to “exercise more care and caution… to ensure that the materials procured for” offerings to the deity “are in conformity with the prescribed quality standards as well as the religious customs applicable to the Temple”.Petitioner S J R Kumar, general convenor of Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an organisation that seeks to protect the traditional customs and rituals of the shrine, moved the HC in November 2021 following media reports that alleged “illegal actions” by temple administration “in procuring halal-certified jaggery for the preparation of prasadam, including aravana and unniyappam, at Sabarimala temple in violation of rituals and customs prevailing in the Hindu community”.Aravana (a traditional sweet made from red rice, jaggery and ghee) and unniyappam (made from rice, jaggery and other ingredients and fried) are the main offerings to the Sabarimala deity Lord Ayyappa.The petitioner contended that the use of jaggery bearing a halal certification, which signifies that the product has been prepared in accordance with the religious beliefs and practices of another community, at the hill shrine would amount to sacrilege and that these offerings made with them will be unsuitable as Satwik, or pure material, for being offered to the deity.The HC then sought reports from the Devaswom Board.The bench which perused the Board’s statement said, “We find that the procedure adopted by the Devaswom Board for procuring such a large quantity of jaggery is through an e-tender process. Pursuant to the said process, (Maharashtra-based) Vardhan Agro Processing Limited emerged as the L1 bidder and was required to supply 19,96,034 kilograms of jaggery powder.”The HC added, “From the statement filed before us, it is evident that the said company also exports jaggery to certain Middle Eastern countries and that it was for the purpose of such exports that the packaging bore the halal certification.”It said, “Ideally, the Travancore Devaswom Board ought to have exercised greater care to ensure that the quantity of jaggery supplied by the manufacturer did not bear symbols, markings or declarations that could give rise to an apprehension of conflict with the religious customs and practices followed at the Temple. However, having regard to the analysis reports (of the Food Safety Laboratory) placed before us, we find that the quality of the jaggery supplied was satisfactory and that the testing did not reveal the presence of any substance or element which would render it unsuitable for use in the preparation of prasadam.”Story continues below this adThe judgement said, “…We are of the view that the Writ Petition can be disposed of by directing the Travancore Devaswom Board to exercise due care and caution in future and to incorporate appropriate and necessary conditions in the e-tender documents so as to ensure that the materials procured for the preparation of nivedyam and prasadam are in conformity with the prescribed quality standards as well as the religious customs and requirements applicable to the Temple.” Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 26 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with the daily newspaper, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More