The Kerala High Court observed on Thursday that cine actor Dileep's visit to the Sabarimala temple on December 5 caused a disruption, obstructing other pilgrims' view of the deity for more than seven minutes.
A division bench comprising Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna expressed serious concern over the incident after reviewing CCTV footage from multiple angles.
"We have seen that video. Very very very very serious. Pilgrims are virtually blocked. It is not a question of two minutes....That person (Dileep) is there in front... You can see that this guard is keeping his hand to block," Justice Anil K Narendran orally remarked while watching the video in open court today.
The Bench recorded the timestamps from the CCTV footage that captured Dileep standing in the front row in its order.
"Movement of pilgrims through the first row in front of sopanam was blocked from the southern side by the devaswom guard on duty by 10:58:10 PM. The cine actor Dileep entered the front row of sopanam from the southern side by 10:58:24 PM and he remained there till 11:05:45 PM. As evident from the third video, the movement of pilgrims through the first row from the northern side was blocked by another devaswom guard at 10:51:38 PM. Till the cine actor left, none of the pilgrims standing in the first row were permitted to move towards the southern side of sopanam," the Court said in its order.
Justice Anil K. Narendran remarked that such privileges are not granted even to individuals authorized for VIP darshan.
"Even authorities who are permitted (VIP darshan) in view of the orders of the apex court would remain there for so much time, obstructing the darshan of others," he said.
The Court directed the concerned police and Devaswom Board authorities to take necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.
"The Travancore Devaswom Board and the Chief Police Coordinator shall take necessary steps to ensure that such privileges to remain in front of sopanam for a considerably long period by blocking darshan of pilgrims is not extended to any pilgrim," the order stated.
Dileep's visit to Sabarimala on December 5 sparked discussions at the Kerala High Court the following day, after reports surfaced alleging that 'VIP' treatment extended to the actor had caused inconvenience to other pilgrims.
On December 6, the Court directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to submit CCTV footage of the actor’s visit and sought detailed reports from relevant officials to address the allegations. The Court also cautioned the TDB that it might consider initiating contempt of court proceedings against individuals whose actions disrupt the worship of pilgrims due to VIP privileges.
The incident reportedly occurred during Harivarasanam when Dileep and his entourage occupied the front row near the Sopanam, obstructing the flow of devotees, including children, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
In response, the Kerala police submitted a statement denying any special treatment for the actor, asserting that no additional assistance was provided by State police, whether from Pamba or other locations at the Sannidhanam. Instead, it clarified that a Devaswom guard escorted Dileep to the administrative office, from where Devaswom officials facilitated his access to the Sopanam.
After reviewing the CCTV footage, the Court was informed by the Devaswom Board’s standing counsel that instructions would be sought, and a detailed report would be filed by the next hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
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