India News | Tractors Used for Transporting Goods to Sabarimala Can't Be Used to Carry Devotees: Kerala HC

Kochi, Nov 25 (PTI) Tractors used for transporting goods to Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala cannot be used to take devotees on the trekking path from Pamba to Sannidhanam, the Kerala High Court said on Thursday and ordered that action be taken against those who violate the direction.

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The high court said that it had in 2014 issued directions that transporting passengers on tractors plying on Swamy Ayyappan road should be prohibited and also directed the police to ensure that no one, including officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, various government departments and police personnel, was permitted to go by tractors plying on the said road.

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However, video clippings placed before the court indicated that tractors used for transporting goods to Sannidhanam were used for transportation of devotees through the trekking path on November 3, a bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar said.

The court was hearing a plea initiated on its own based on news items and video clippings which appeared in social media regarding transportation of pilgrims in tractors, which are used for transporting goods to Sannidhanam.

The bench said its 2014 order prohibiting the movement of devotees, Devaswom officials, police personnel etc. in tractors used for transportation of goods through trekking path has to be implemented by all, in letter and spirit.

If there was any violation of this direction, the same should be reported to the Chief Vigilance Security Officer and also to the Special Commissioner, who shall bring it to the notice of the court, the bench said.

"Since the entire trekking path from Pamba to Sannidhanam is having CCTV coverage, with control panel at Pamba, the officers in charge of the control panels should report any transportation of devotees or any other person in the tractors used for transportation of goods to Sannidhanam, that should be forthwith intimated to the officers concerned for taking stringent actions against those persons," the court added and disposed of the petition.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)