Kerala High Court quizzes Travancore Devaswom Board about sponsorship of Sabarimala Ayyappa global event

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to clarify the exact nature of the upcoming Sabarimala promotional event, the 'Global Ayyappa Sangamam', particularly the manner in which its conduct will be funded [Ajeesh Kalathil Gopi v State of Kerala & ors].

The Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition to prevent the State government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) from conducting the event, which is scheduled to be held at Pamba between September 16 and 21, 2025.

The event was announced as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the TDB has been projected as an event that will showcase Sabarimala as a global pilgrimage centre, to spread the universal message of 'Thathwamasi' and promote religious harmony and global unity.

However, the petitioner, advocate Ajeesh Kalathil Gopi, has argued that the event is a politically motivated programme which misuses the name of Lord Ayyappa.

The High Court Vacation Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Syam Kumar VM today questioned the TDB over the lack of clarity on the financial arrangements for the event.

The Court also noted that there is some ambiguity in the exact nature of the event.

The Court has directed the TDB to submit details these details, including how the event is going to be funded. The matter will be heard next on September 9, 2025.

"The TDB must obviously explain and answer all above, placing on record every germane information regarding the event and its schedule," the Court stated in its order.

The petitioner, appearing in person, argued that the State and the TDB were attempting to conduct a political event in the guise of devotion, tourism, and cultural promotion.

In response, the TDB's counsel argued that no funds from the State's exchequer or the TDB's corpus would be utilised, and the entire event would be supported by corporate sponsorships.

"You say it's sponsorship money from corporate, but how does TDB get money like that? It cannot go out from the corpus fund," Justice Ramachandran asked, in turn.

The Court noted that neither the petitioner nor the TDB had been able to tell with precision the actual nature of the event and questioned the TDB on the necessity of linking the programme to the board's platinum jubilee celebrations.

The Court also recorded the State's submission that its only role in the upcoming event has to do with crowd management support.

The petitioner has argued that the event goes against the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950, which governs the administration of Sabarimala under TDB and entrusts TDB with the task of safeguarding the sanctity of the Sabarimala temple.

The petitioner claims that the event involves the commercialisation of a sacred religious institution and the misuse of Lord Ayyappa's name for political purposes.

"Being a secular State, the Government cannot, in any manner, appropriate or use the term ‘Ayyappa’, which is sacred and specifically denotes devoted practitioners, particularly when the proposed event is organized under the aegis of the ruling party. The very naming and organization of this event thus amount to a distortion of religious observances and a disrespect to the Ayyappa bhaktas. The event is purely for financial and political gain, similar to other events conducted by the present government," the petition stated.

The petitioner has highlighted that Sabarimala, being one of the world's most visited pilgrimage centres, requires no promotion. The proposed event is a facade for political propaganda ahead of elections, he contended.

The petition further pointed out that the Sabarimala temple generates one of the highest revenues in the State.

Despite this, the State government has failed to provide basic amenities such as clean drinking water, sanitation, and crowd management for temple devotees, it added. Instead of addressing these concerns, efforts are being made to host a political event under the guise of devotion and tourism, the plea said.

Senior government pleader S Kannan appeared for the State and its authorities during yesterday's hearing of the matter.

Advocate G Biju appeared for the Travancore Devaswom Board.

[Read Order]

[Live Coverage]