The Kerala High Court has appointed an amicus curiae to look into the allegations over the use of outdated jaggery with a 'halal' label at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
The Kerala government and the temple authorities informed the court that raw materials used for preparing 'Aravana' and 'Appam' prasadams at the temple were subjected to strict quality checks and hence there was no need for concerns over the quality of the prasadams distributed from the temple.
The petition against the alleged use of 'halal' labelled jaggery at the Ayyappa temple was filed by an individual after jaggery sacks with a 'halal' label were spotted at the temple.
The temple authorities clarified that a Maharashtra based firm that used to supply the jaggery was involved in the export of jaggery to Gulf countries also and that could be the reason for the 'halal' label on the sack. The jaggery with the 'halal' label was supplied during 2019-20 and it became outdated as it could not be used due to Covid. Hence it was auctioned off to another firm for purposes like cattle feed manufacturing.
The temple executive officer also filed a police petition against the campaign in social media that 'halal' jaggery was used to make prasadams at the Ayyappa temple. The temple authorities alleged attempts to defame the temple.
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