Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday lambasted the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple administration for giving ‘VIP’ treatment to actor Dileep at the hill shrine on Thursday, media reports said.
A division bench of the court directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (Temple Administration) to submit all matters including CCTV footage related to Dileep’s visit to the hill shrine in this regard before the court at the earliest.
The court wondered how the Temple Administration erred in violating previous court judgements on various issues including giving priority to devotees visiting the temple to offer prayers.
The court expressed anguish over Dileep visiting the temple under police protection offering prayers standing in the VIP zone for a long time even as little children, the disabled, senior citizens and others stood in queue for long hours to offer prayers.
The court said only those enjoying Constitutional positions were permitted for such preferential treatment according to judicial orders.
The bench took up the issue suo motu based on news reports of the “special VIP darshan” given to Dileep at the hill shrine.
The matter assumes seriousness as the court had recently lambasted the temple administration and police for allowing many police personnel to take pictures standing on the holy steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple.
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