No room for protests at Sabarimala; Sec 144 to remain: Kerala HC

The restrictions imposed by invoking Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure shall remain in force at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam, said the Kerala High Court on Tuesday, November 27.

No demonstrations, dharna or protests shall be carried out in Sabarimala and peaceful darshan shall be accorded paramount importance. No one shall use the opportunity to stage protests there on the pretext of being pilgrims, the court directed.

A division bench comprising Justices PR Ramachandra Menon and N Anil Kumar said chanting of mantras should not be prevented as it was the right of devotees, but emphasised that this right shouldn’t become a pretext for staging protests. “Any attempt to thwart these directions shall be handled by the police, which are duty-bound to maintain the law and order,” the order said.

Passing the order, the court said the police could impose reasonable restrictions for crowd management.

The court also appointed a three-member observer committee to oversee the smooth management of the festival during the current season and to bring back normality to Sabarimala.

A committee comprising former judges of the Kerala High Court PR Raman and S. Siri Jagan and DGP A Hemachandran will oversee that the police are given a free hand in maintaining law and order without crossing the borders and without committing any excesses, it said.

The access to Nadapandal will be restricted to children, women, ailing persons, physically challenged pilgrims and senior citizens and the police is allowed to screen and segregate the crowd while allowing these sections to the area, it directed.

The court accepted the contentions of authorities that water was sprayed at Nadapandal for cleaning up the area and washing off the dust and dirt accumulated there, which was an annual exercise.

The court issued specific directions on provision of facilities such as water, toilets and food, and security checks, among other issues.