The Kerala High Court has taken action in the case of the construction of public toilets in temple land as part of a government project. Cherpulassery Municipality in Palakkad district built the building inside Sree Ayyappan Kavu Temple, including public toilets. Cherpulassery is often called the Sabarimala of Malabar as the famous Ayyappankavu temple is located here.

The court has banned the building, which includes public toilets, from opening for two weeks. The High Court Devaswom bench stopped the public toilets from opening. The court intervened in a petition filed by Hindu Aikya Vedi president of Cherpulassery PN Sriraman.

The court issued a notice to the temple managing trust seeking an explanation from the Cherpulassery Municipality and the Malabar Devaswom Board. As part of the communist government’s 100-day Karma program, a building with a public washroom and a rest house was built on the temple land.

The sheer scale of demographic change in towns like Cherpulassery is astonishing and frightening for Hindus. It is indicated that big quotation gangs are operating in Cherpulassery. They indulge in extorting hawala money, vehicle theft, gold smuggling, and assault.

Cherpulassery Police recently arrested notorious criminal Charal Faisal. The police said that he will be charged with the Kerala Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA). Cherpulassery is also allegedly a hub for drugs. Under such circumstances do we need public resthouses inside temples?