Kerala HC Stops Sale of Aravana Prasadam at Sabarimala

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to not sell 'Aravana Prasadam' in Sabarimala as the cardamom used in the preparation contained pesticides beyond the maximum residue limit (MRL). The direction by a Bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and P G Ajithkumar came following detection of around 14 pesticides in the chemical analysis of the cardamom procured by the Board from a Kollam-based supplier.

The Government Analyst's Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram and accredited laboratory of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), after testing the cardamom, found it to be unsafe. The cardamom was tested on a plea by a company Ayyappa Spices which had supplied the condiment to the TDB during the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season of 2021-22 and was aggrieved that the Board gave the contract for 2022-23 to a Kollam-based supplier "without competition and newspaper advertisement".

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