Don’t Politicise One- Day Agola Ayyappa Sangamam: Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not intervene in the Kerala High Court’s verdict regarding the Agola Ayyappa Sangamam function. The Supreme Court asked the petitioners why a one -day Ayyappa Sangamam was being politicised.

The Supreme Court said that all complaints can be raised before the High Court. It then dismissed the petition that sought to stop the Agola Ayyappa Sangamam.

A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar dismissed three petitions challenging the High Court’s order that permitted the Travancore Devaswom Board to hold the meet, emphasising that the conditions set by the High Court must be strictly followed.

The Thiruvithamkoor Dewaswom Board is organising the event on September 20 at Pamba as part of its jubilee celebrations. The state government had earlier informed the High Court that the programme was being conducted in accordance with constitutional provisions and clarified that neither the government nor the Dewaswom Board was spending money on it.

Online registration for the Sangamam has already concluded. Of the 4,884 applicants, 3,000 devotees will be able to attend on a first-come-first-serve basis. Those selected have been notified through SMS and email. A 38,500 sq. ft pandal is under construction at the venue.

The event will begin with registration at 8 a.m. on Saturday, followed by the inauguration by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 10.30 a.m. Subsequent sessions will focus on key themes, including the Sabarimala Master Plan expansion, integration of spirituality with responsible tourism circuits, and strategies to manage the pilgrimage rush.

The discussions will be led by former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar, former DGP Jacob Punnoose, A Hemachandran, Tourism Secretary A Biju, Electronics and IT Secretary Seeram Sambashiva Rao, and hazard risk analyst G S Pradeep. The panel on the Sabarimala Master Plan will be chaired by K Jayakumar.