The Kerala High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to strengthen tender conditions for ingredients used in Sabarimala offerings, addressing both food quality and the temple’s religious requirements.
Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K. V. Jayakumar disposed of WP(C) 25645/2021 on September 29. The petition challenged procurement of jaggery carrying Halal certification labels for Aravana and other prasadam.
The bench found that the analysis reports before it showed satisfactory quality. Testing had not revealed a substance rendering the jaggery unsuitable for prasadam.
It nevertheless said the Board should have taken greater care over symbols or declarations that could cause apprehension of conflict with temple customs. The supplier’s certification had been explained as connected with exports to Middle Eastern countries.
Recording the Board’s undertaking to exercise greater care, the court ordered appropriate future tender conditions to ensure conformity with prescribed quality standards and applicable religious customs.
The judgment does not record a finding that the tested jaggery was unsafe merely because its packaging carried that certification.