Kerala High Court Directs Total Ban On Plastic And Synthetic Kumkum At Sabarimala; Orders Immediate Clean-Up Of Erumeli Stream, Public Advisory To Pilgrims
Sanchayita Lahkar
The High Court of Kerala, Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar directed the State Government and the Travancore Devaswom Board to enforce a complete ban on the sale and use of chemically manufactured Kumkum and plastic materials in and around Sabarimala, including areas such as Pamba, Nilakkal, and the trekking path to the Sannidhanam. The Court directed that pilgrims must be informed through public notices and advisories on official platforms about the prohibition on synthetic dyes and plastic packaging. The Bench further ordered immediate steps by the Minor Irrigation Department to remove silt and waste from the Erumeli stream and called for coordinated measures to ensure sanitation, waste management, and environmental protection during the pilgrimage season.
The proceedings arise from a suo motu initiation based on the Sabarimala Special Commissioner’s Report regarding steps required to provide adequate facilities for Sabarimala pilgrims at Edathavalams during the Mandalam–Makaravilakku Festival Season 2025–2026. The matter was placed before the Division Bench for orders on 07 November 2025. The respondents include the Union Government, the State of Kerala, Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee, District administrations of Alappuzha and Kottayam, police authorities, and local self-government institutions.
During the proceedings, the Cochin Devaswom Board stated that “all necessary arrangements have been made at the Edathavalam within their jurisdictional limits.” Chengannur Municipality submitted that it had complied with earlier directions and that its compliance report was being filed. The Guruvayur Devaswom submitted that arrangements at Keezhedam Temple were complete and that a separate queue system had been set up for the convenience of pilgrims.
The Travancore Devaswom Board submitted that 52 Edathavalams were under its control and that arrangements were in place; however, the Court directed the Devaswom Commissioner to submit a consolidated report detailing measures adopted to ensure sanitation, crowd management, and environmental safeguards.
The Erumeli Grama Panchayat reported that a joint inspection in and around the Erumeli Sastha Temple revealed large accumulations of solid waste in the Erumeli Valiya Thodu. It indicated that while the accumulated waste was removed, a substantial quantity of silt obstructing the stream required intervention from the Minor Irrigation Department. Consequently, the Executive Engineer, Minor Irrigation Department, Pathanamthitta, was suo motu impleaded.
The Panchayat also stated indiscriminate disposal of plastic shampoo sachets into the Thodu and suggested nets and temporary check-dams to intercept floating debris. The judgment records detailed concerns relating to environmental hazards arising from plastic waste and synthetic chemical colour powders used during religious rituals. Statutory references in the discussion include the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the constitutional obligations under Articles 48A and 51A.
The Court recorded that the Cochin Devaswom Board had submitted that “all necessary arrangements have been made at the Edathavalam within their jurisdictional limits,” and that Chengannur Municipality stated that “the directions issued by this Court have been duly complied with.” It also noted the submission that at Keezhedam Temple “all necessary arrangements” were complete.
Regarding the Travancore Devaswom Board, the Court recorded that although arrangements were stated to be in place, a consolidated report was required “detailing the specific measures taken to implement this Court’s directions and to ensure that sanitation, crowd management, and environmental safeguards are effectively maintained across all Edathavalams.”
The Court documented that police authorities assured that “pre-paid autorickshaw and taxi counters are operational at both railway stations” and that arrangements were made to ensure that pilgrims “are not subjected to any inconvenience or hardship.”
The Court recorded findings from the Erumeli inspection, stating that “considerable quantities of solid waste were found accumulated in the Erumeli Valiya Thodu, forming a dense heap in stagnant water and thereby creating an unhygienic and unsanitary condition.” It observed that although waste removal was completed, silt accumulation required immediate desilting. It stated that the Executive Engineer “shall carry out an immediate site inspection and take expeditious steps to remove the accumulated silt.”
The Court observed that “indiscriminate disposal of small plastic shampoo sachets has become a serious environmental menace” and that such materials were “choking the natural flow of the stream, degrading water quality, and causing irreparable damage.” It stated that nets and temporary check-dams could intercept waste.
The Court referred to its earlier order, stating that “this Court has already issued a complete ban on the use of plastic and other biohazardous materials at Sabarimala Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilakkal, and also along the trekking path.” It recorded that continuous violations would “entail cancellation of the Kuthaka licence.”
The Court stated that synthetic colour powders used during rituals were “produced in unregulated small-scale industries” using industrial pigments “intended for textiles, plastics, or paints rather than for human contact.” It recorded their toxic composition, including “Copper Sulphate, Malachite Green, Lead Oxide, Carbon Black, Aluminium Bromide, Red Mercury Sulphide (Vermilion), Azo dyes, Prussian Blue, and Cobalt compounds,” and observed that their use results in “dermatological disorders, ophthalmic injuries, respiratory distress, systemic toxicity, and long-term carcinogenic effects,” apart from environmental degradation.
It stated that such powders “shall” not be brought to Sannidhanam or Erumely.
The Court directed the Devaswom Commissioner “to file a consolidated report detailing the specific measures taken to implement this Court’s directions and to ensure that sanitation, crowd management, and environmental safeguards are effectively maintained across all Edathavalams.”
The Court ordered that the Executive Engineer, Minor Irrigation Department, Pathanamthitta, who was suo motu impleaded, “shall carry out an immediate site inspection and take expeditious steps to remove the accumulated silt and sand deposits so as to restore proper drainage and prevent further contamination of the watercourse.”
The Court stated that “continuous serious violations of the conditions of the Kuthaka will entail cancellation of the Kuthaka licence.”
The Court directed that, in terms of the previous directions in George M.L., the Travancore Devaswom Board “shall issue an advance public notice through its official website, as well as through print and electronic media, informing pilgrims of the prohibition on the use and carriage of plastic materials, including plastic packaging materials such as sachets, wraps, and covers, in the Irumudi. An appropriate advisory shall also be published on the Virtual-Q platform, for the information and compliance of pilgrims.”
The Court ordered that chemically manufactured Kumkum and synthetic colour powders shall not be brought by pilgrims, recording that “under no circumstances shall such chemical dyes or colour powders be brought by pilgrims either to the Sannidhanam or to Erumely, where the ritual of Petta Thullal is performed.”
“We direct the State Government and the Travancore Devaswom Board to take immediate and coordinated action to ban the sale and use of chemically manufactured Kumkum within the area and to promote the use of traditional, naturally derived alternatives.”
Advocates Representing the Parties
For the Respondents: Deputy Solicitor General of India; Sri. S. Rajmohan, Senior Government Pleader; Standing Counsel for Travancore Devaswom Board; Standing Counsel for Cochin Devaswom Board; Standing Counsel for Malabar Devaswom Board; Standing Counsel for Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee; Smt. Chithra Chandrasekharan, SC, Erumeli Grama Panchayath; Sri. Haridas V.N., SC, Chengannur Municipality; Smt. Sayujya Radhakrishnan, Amicus Curiae.
Case Title: Suo Motu v. Union Government & Others
Case Number: SSCR No.29 of 2025
Bench: Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V, Justice K.V. Jayakumar
