Kerala High Court Closes Suo Motu Case On Unauthorized Fundraising For Sabarimala Panchaloha Idol, Orders Police To Complete Probe

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday closed the suo motu proceedings initiated over the unauthorized collection of funds for installing a Panchaloha idol of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple by a private individual. The Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K. V. Jayakumar held that no further orders were necessary after the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) withdrew its earlier permission and the accused expressed willingness to defer the project.The case stemmed from a report by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, who flagged that a private individual who is the Chairman of Lotus Hospital, Erode, had circulated pamphlets seeking public donations after receiving initial approval from the Travancore Devaswom Board for installation of a Panchaloha idol. The pamphlets claimed official sanction for installing a 150-kg Panchaloha idol, prompting concerns of unauthorized fundraising.Following the Court's intervention, the Pamba Police registered a criminal case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigations revealed that a total of ₹6, 14,007 was credited to an account linked to Rotary Freedom India Trust (the account which was mentioned in the pamphlets distributed) in July 2025. The TDB subsequently cancelled its permission, and the account was frozen.In its final order, the High Court directed that the police complete their investigation within four months, the magistrate proceed with the case in accordance with law, and the seized amount by the police shall be produced before the jurisdictional Court and dealt with in accordance with law.The Court thus, closed the case. Case Title - Suo Motu v State of Kerala and OrsCase No - SSCR 18/ 2025Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Ker) 570Counsel for Respondent - S Rajmohan (Sr. GP), G Biju (SC - Travancore Devaswom Board), S SujinAmicus Curiae for Sabarimala Special Commissioner - Sayujya RadhakrishnanClick Here To Read/ Download Judgment

Kerala High Court Closes Suo Motu Case On Unauthorized Fundraising For Sabarimala Panchaloha Idol, Orders Police To Complete Probe

Anamika MJ

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