Kerala High Court directs Travancore Devaswom Board to exercise due care in procuring prasadam materials, disposes of Halal-label jaggery petition

4 October 2026

On 1 October 2026 a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar, disposed of WP(C) 25645/2021, filed by devotee S J R Kumar against the Travancore Devaswom Board. The petition concerned jaggery bearing a Halal label that was procured for Aravana and Unniyappam. The court directed the Board to exercise due care and caution in future and to incorporate appropriate conditions in its e-tender documents so that materials meet quality standards and temple customs. It observed that the Board ought to have taken greater care to ensure the jaggery supplied did not bear markings that could raise apprehension of conflict with temple customs. The supplier, Vardhan Agro Processing Limited, said the certification was for Middle Eastern export. Food Safety Laboratory reports found the jaggery satisfactory, and the court did not hold it unfit.