In a surprising but welcome move, Kerala High Court has minced no words in their criticism of the Pinnarayi Vijayan led Kerala government, and has slammed them for their double standards with respect to the Supreme Court’s verdict on Sabarimala temple and the Piravom Church.
While hearing the case of the Piravom Church, Kerala High Court slammed the government for not implementing the Supreme Court verdict on the same, which said as follows:-
‘The church should be administered as per the 1934 constitution of the Malankara Church and the Jacobites who had disassociated from the constitution had no right to interfere in the religious and the administrative affairs of the church and its properties.’
When asked as to why Kerala government was unable to implement the order, the Advocate General tried to deflect the question, giving flimsy excuses such as lack of adequate police force and proper state machinery to implement the judgment of Supreme Court. To quote the Advocate General, “If the police intervened to implement the judgment, there might be bloodshed, loss of life by self-immolation or by suicide and complete breakdown of law and order.”
‘If police intervened, this would lead to breakdown of law and order’, is that the best excuse that Kerala government could come up with? If this was the case, what is happening in and around the pilgrimage of Sabarimala? Is that not the breakdown of law and order? Is arresting even small children for merely chanting ‘Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa’ not breakdown of law and order? Is that not dictatorship?
Needless to say, this infuriated the Bench, which shot back at the Advocate General, asking if this was so, then how did they have enough force for the Sabarimala temple? They were also shocked that the Kerala government was opting for an out of court settlement, in a case where it wasn’t required at all.
To quote the observation of the High Court Bench, “We are completely taken aback by the submission made by the State government that it was trying for a settlement. We do not understand under what sanction of law the police or the State machinery said that they are trying for an amicable settlement outside court, even though the judgments of the Supreme Court hold the field.”
They also added, “When 1000 police officers are deployed at Sabarimala, why is the government not able to facilitate security for 200 persons at the Piravam church?’ The court also said that this double standard is indigestible for ordinary people.”
Neither this is the first time that Kerala government has resorted to such brazen hypocrisy over two different court matters related to different religions, nor this is the first time that Kerala High Court has slammed them for being dictatorial and hypocritical in their approach.
Only a couple of days ago, when the government, in their vicious bid to extract, rather suck more revenue from the temple trusts by appointing ‘their agents’, had appealed against the decision of the trial court that only a Hindu could be appointed as the head of the Devaswom boards. Dismissing this atrocious complaint, the Kerala High Court not only upheld the judgment, but also thrashed the government verbally for being dictatorial towards the Ayyappa devotees in their bid to uphold the Supreme Court verdict.
At a time, when Kerala government has breached all the limits of decency in their attitude towards the innocent Ayyappa devotees, such judgments by Kerala High Court not only come as a relief to thousands of devotees who throng the Sabarimala temple, but also serve as a tough deterrent to the current Kerala government, who think they can do anything with the Hindus in Kerala and get away with it.