Kerala HC closes suo motu case over unauthorised fundraising for Sabarimala Panchaloha idol

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday closed the suo motu proceedings initiated over unauthorised fundraising for installing a Panchaloha idol of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple. The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar said no further orders were necessary after the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) withdrew its earlier approval and the accused agreed to defer the project.

The matter arose from a report by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, who flagged that the Chairman of Lotus Hospital, Erode, had circulated pamphlets soliciting donations for a 150-kg Panchaloha idol. The pamphlets cited TDB’s initial sanction, raising concerns of unauthorised public fundraising.

Following the Court’s intervention, the Pamba Police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigations showed that ₹6,14,007 had been credited in July 2025 to an account linked to Rotary Freedom India Trust, the entity mentioned in the pamphlets. The TDB later revoked its permission, and the account was frozen.

In its order, the Court directed the police to complete their investigation within four months. It further instructed that the magistrate handle the matter in accordance with the law, and that the seized amount be produced before the jurisdictional court.
(With inputs from LiveLaw)