Thiruvananthapuram |Kerala Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan on Wednesday said key decisions relating to the administration of the Sabarimala temple are taken in accordance with directions of the High Court, with the state government and the TDB acting as per judicial orders.
Replying to questions in the Assembly, the minister said that in many instances, the High Court's directions have been contrary to the decisions of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the state government.
"Even decisions on how pilgrims should offer worship at Sabarimala come from the High Court. Neither the government nor the TDB decides such matters. Everything is done in accordance with court directions," he said.
Muraleedharan said the government has refrained from commenting on such issues out of respect for the judiciary.
Despite this, he said the government would make all efforts to strengthen basic facilities at Nilakkal under the Sabarimala Master Plan, taking into account the demands of devotees.
The minister was replying to BJP MLA V Muraleedharan, who sought to know whether the government would consider developing Nilakkal as a base station on the lines of the Vaishno Devi Temple pilgrimage model to reduce congestion at Sabarimala.
The Devaswom minister said preparations for this year's pilgrimage season were being undertaken well in advance to ensure a hassle-free pilgrimage and that the TDB has convened a meeting of all concerned departments on July 9 as part of the arrangements.
On the ongoing SIT probe into the Sabarimala gold loss case, the minister declined to comment, saying the investigation was being carried out under the supervision of the High Court.
"The government will present its stand if the court seeks it after the investigating agency submits the complete charge sheet," he said.
Muraleedharan also defended the appointment of advocate K B Pradeep as Devaswom Special Prosecutor despite criticism that he had earlier appeared for an accused firm in the Sabarimala gold loss case.
Describing Pradeep as a renowned criminal lawyer, the minister said he was appointed in the belief that he would ensure justice in the case he would be entrusted with. However, he later resigned after the appointment sparked a controversy, Muraleedharan added
