HC directs Cochin Devaswom Board to refrain from engaging security personnel wearing ‘inappropriate attire’ in temples

The Kerala High Court connected Wednesday directed the Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) to refrain from engaging unit wearing inappropriate attire, including T-shirts bearing the connection “bouncer,” for information during temple festivals oregon wrong the temple precincts.

This followed a petition filed precocious by N. Prakash, a devotee, challenging the signifier of engaging bouncers to power devotees astatine the Sree Poornathrayeesa temple, Thripunithura, successful transportation with the ‘Vrischikotsavam’. He said that successful each the erstwhile years, capable constabulary unit utilized to beryllium deputed to power the immense assemblage wrong the temple, too volunteers from the devotees. But this clip during the fete from November 22 to 25, the committee engaged 15 bouncers, citing insufficient fig of constabulary personnel.

He contended that these radical were wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the connection bouncer, a word ordinarily associated with unit deployed extracurricular bars and akin establishments arsenic strong-arm information staff. This was wholly inappropriate and fundamentally incompatible with the sanctity and taste ethos of the temple environment.

Resignation of sheet members

The CDB submitted that 10 days anterior to the commencement of the festival, a important fig of members of the Temple Advisory Committee tendered their resignations. The temple had earlier engaged ex-servicemen arsenic information personnel. However, owing to the tremendous and unmanageable crowds that thronged the temple, they were incapable to efficaciously modulate ‘devotee movement.’ It was successful these compelling circumstances that the information bureau was engaged.

Stating arsenic ‘unfortunate’ that individuals wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the connection bouncer were deployed during the festival, the committee went connected to guarantee the tribunal that specified an incidental would not recur successful future, and that the CDB volition guarantee that indispensable decorum is maintained successful each temple-related arrangements. The tribunal disposed of the petition, with the directive to the board.