Kochi: Petitioners in the Sabarimala cases on Monday argued in the Kerala High Court that in the guise of prohibitory orders a situation is prevailing where even the Central Minister and High Court judge were prevented from having darshan.
The petitioners also pleaded that police should not be allowed to physically deal with devotees. They said that the act of police to prevent devotees from chanting ‘Saranam Ayyappa’ was shattering the atmo-sphere of bhakti at the shrine. The High Court will take up the petition again on Tuesday to hear the arguments of the state government.
The Devaswom Bench of the High Court is hearing a batch of petitions by Chennai native T.R. Ramesh and others and also the case registered suo motu by the High Court following the report by the Special Commissioner on Sabarimala. The petitioners wondered how the police is able to distinguish between devotees and protesters at Sabarimala after the government said that devotees won’t be prevented at the hill shrine. They also argued that the act of the police official to prevent the Central Minister and then debate publicly with him the policy decision of the state government amounted to indiscipline.
