The Supreme Court has issued an order to address the stockpile of aravana, which had accumulated following the Kerala High Court’s decision to suspend its sale due to concerns over pesticide levels in cardamom. The SC bench, comprising Justices A S Bopanna and P S Narasimha, emphasized that the state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board must collaborate to manage the disposal of these stocks. Furthermore, the Supreme Court criticized the Kerala High Court’s intervention in halting the aravana’s sale.
The apex court granted permission for the Devaswom to proceed with the disposal of aravana prepared during the previous season in preparation for the upcoming mandala season in Sabarimala. Approximately 6.65-lakh tins of aravana, valued at Rs 7 crore, have been stockpiled in various godowns in Sabarimala since January. Despite a report from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) confirming the safety of the aravana for consumption, the board informed the court that it would not be distributed to devotees since it was prepared several months ago.
The court also raised concerns about the Kerala High Court’s involvement in matters of commercial interest, noting that the HC’s verdict was in response to a plea filed by an individual who did not secure the cardamom contract. Additional Solicitor General Nataraj, representing the Centre, argued that subjecting all prasadams distributed at places of worship to food safety checks was not appropriate.
In this legal proceeding, Senior advocate V Giri and advocate P S Sudhir represented the Devaswom Board, while advocate M R Abhilash, who initially appeared for the petitioner Ayyappa Spices in the High Court, was also present.
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