IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT : THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE THOTTATHIL B.RADHAKRISHNAN & THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE C.T.RAVIKUMAR THURSDAY, THE 17TH NOVEMBER 2011 / 26TH KARTHIKA 1933 WP(C).No. 30527 of 2011(M) ---------------------------------------- PETITIONER(S): ----------------------- KSHETHRA SAMSKARA SAMRAKSHNA SANGHAM, REG. NO. K-324/11, SANGHACHETHANA BUILDINGS, MANGANAM P.O, KOTTAYAM- 686 018. REP. BY ITS SECRETARY, B. UNNIKRISHNAN, S/O N. BALAKRISHNA PILLA, ERAVIMANGALATH HOUSE, MANGANAM P.O, KOTTAYAM -686 018. BY ADV. SRI.M.RAMAKRISHNAN, SRI.DINESH MATHEW J.MURICKEN, SRI.P.V.BALAKRISHNAN. RESPONDENT(S): -------------------------- THE TRAVANCORE DEVASWOM BOARD, REP. BY ITS SECRETARY, NANTHANCODE P.O, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN-695 003. BY ADV. MR.V.V. NANDAGOPAL NAMBIAR, SC, TDB. THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON 17/11/2011,THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: rs WP(C).No. 30527 of 2011(M) APPENDIX PETITIONER'S EXHIBITS: EXT.P1 TRUE COPY OF THE DECISION TAKEN BY THE RESPONDENT DTD. 25.06.2011. EXT.P2 TRUE COPY OF THE ORDER IN D.B.A. NO. 42/2011 PASSED BY THIS HONOURABLE COURT DTD. 21.10.2011. EXT.P3 TRUE COY OF THE REPORT PUBLISHED IN MANGALAM DAILY DTD. 13-11-2011. RESPONDENT'S EXHIBITS:- NIL. //TRUE COPY// P.S. TO JUDGE rs THOTTATHIL B. RADHAKRISHNAN & C.T.RAVIKUMAR, JJ. ---------------------------------------- W.P.(C)No.30527 of 2011 ---------------------------------------- Dated this the 17th day of November, 2011 JUDGMENT Thottathil B.Radhakrishnan, J. The petitioner, an organization registered in roll under the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act, complaints about the rates fixed by the TDB for vazhipadu in Sabarimala. That decision of the Board was in June, 2011. The challenge by the petitioner is not essentially regarding the vazhipadu rates as such but, a restriction imposed in the penultimate paragraph of Ext.P1 whereby, Pushpabhishekam and Ashtabhishekam gets restricted during Mandala-Makaravilakku season to one per day, which essentially is the representative ritual that the TDB will conduct by itself and all devotees and believers who want Pushpabhishekam and Ashtabhishekam to be conducted during Mandala-Makaravilakku season can take tickets at the rate of Rs.1,500/-. This means, they will be participating notionally in the group activity of Pushpabhishekam or Ashtabhishekam, as the case may be, rather than having individual offerings of Pushpabhishekam and Ashtabhishekam. Nothing has shown by the petitioner that this restriction is malafide. We would go to WP(C).No.30527/2011 2 the last paragraph of Ext.P1 which explicitly clarify that such restriction would not operate during the monthly pooja, meaning thereby that individual Pushpabhishekam and Ashtabhishekam can be conducted during the monthly pooja. No contra opinion by the Thanthri, Shanthikar or other people relevant for the management of the ritualistic affairs of Sabarimala is pointed out. We do not find anything to interfere on this point, particularly when the Sabarimala shrine has now opened for the current Mandala-Makaravilakku season. This writ petition is hence dismissed. Sd/- THOTTATHIL B. RADHAKRISHNAN Judge Sd/- C.T.RAVIKUMAR Judge TKS/17.11