Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to ensure that no organisation or group of devotees is permitted to collect money from devotees as donation or sponsorship in connection with the annual festival or any ceremony in a temple under it.

A bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S also directed the Board to ensure that the money collected by a Temple Advisory Committee, either as a donation or sponsorship, in connection with the conduct of the annual festival or any ceremony in the temple, "is properly accounted and audited".

The directions came on a plea by Vishnu Sunil Panthalam, an advocate, highlighting the display of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) flags and the performance of songs glorifying the CPI(M) at a recent temple festival in Kollam district.

The court, in its order which was made public on Wednesday, was of the prima facie view that a programme like the one seen at the Kadakkad temple in Kollam "should not have been permitted in connection with the annual festival or any ceremony in a temple under the management of the TDB".

It had also directed the TDB to take necessary steps to ensure that a programme like the one seen at the temple was not permitted to be performed in connection with the annual festival or any ceremony in a place of worship under the Board's management.

The bench has said that a Temple Advisory Committee in a temple under the management of the TDB was permitted to collect money from the devotees in connection with the conduct of the annual festival or any ceremony in the temple only against receipts with the seal of the Assistant Commissioner.

"Such collection of money is in the name of the deity, who is a perpetual minor. The money collected,either as a donation or by way of sponsorship, has to be utilised with utmost care and caution...

"It is for the Board to take necessary steps to ensure that the money collected by the Temple Advisory Committee, either as a donation or by way of sponsorship, in connection with the conduct of the annual festival or any ceremony in the temple, is properly accounted and subjected to audit by the Kerala State Audit Department, and the Travancore Devaswom Board Audit," the court said.

It also observed that the performance of political songs and display of flags of DYFI in the background of the stage, were "inappropriate for the occasion" and would "certainly hurt the sentiments of the devotees".

"Further, politics have no role to play in the conduct of daily worship, ceremonies and festivals in temples," it added.

In his plea, Panthalam has claimed that the performance of political songs and display of party flags in the background "were inappropriate for the occasion and deeply hurt the sentiments of the devotees".

"The incident, therefore, amounted to an unwarranted and distressing intrusion into a religious event," the petition filed through advocate Jomy K Jose has said.

The TDB has already ordered a vigilance probe into the incident and issued a show cause notice to the advisory committee of the Kadakkal temple.

On March 10, during the Kadakkal temple festival, singer Aloshi Adams sang some revolutionary songs including one about late CPI(M) member Puthukudi Pushpan who had survived the 1994 Koothuparamba police firing incident, which had rocked Kerala.

During the performance of the songs, flags and symbols of the DYFI and the CPI(M) were shown in the background.

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