Kochi, Dec 3 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Cochin Devaswom Board to refrain from engaging, as security personnel, individuals wearing inappropriate attire, including t-shirts with the word ‘bouncer’, during temple festivals or within the precincts of the shrines.
The direction, issued by a bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar, came on a plea by Kochi resident N Prakash, who told the court that personnel wearing ‘bouncer’ t-shirts had been engaged as security at the Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple in Thrippunithura.
Prakash told the court that the “strong-arm security personnel” were deployed at the temple from November 22 to November 25.
He contended that deploying such individuals within the sacred precincts of a shrine to manage and direct devotees was “wholly inappropriate and fundamentally incompatible with the sanctity, decorum, and cultural ethos that the temple environment demands.” The board’s lawyer told the court that the temple had initially engaged ex-servicemen for security.
However, due to the enormous and unmanageable crowds that thronged the shrine, they were unable to control the movement of devotees.
In these circumstances, a security agency was engaged, the lawyer said.
The board’s lawyer also submitted that it was “unfortunate” that individuals wearing t-shirts with the word ‘bouncer’ were deployed during the festival and assured the court that such an incident would not recur in the future and that necessary decorum would be maintained in all temple-related arrangements.
“We record the submissions of the standing counsel of the Board and direct the respondents—the Board and the temple’s Devaswom Officer—to exercise due caution hereafter and to refrain from engaging personnel wearing inappropriate attire, including t-shirts bearing the word ‘bouncer’, for security during temple festivals or within temple precincts,” the bench said.
With the direction, the court disposed of the plea. PTI HMP SSK HMP SSK ADB
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