Jan. 27: The Kerala government on Thursday told the High Court here that it does not propose to conduct any kind of probe into whether the light visible from the Sabarimala shrine was a celestial phenomenon or man-made as the issue is a matter of faith for millions of devotees.
The official submission came in response to the High Court’s query earlier seeking to know if “Makarajyothi” was man-made and the difference between it and “Makaravilakku” in the wake of the Pullumedu stampede that claimed the lives of 102 Sabarimala pilgrims.
The tragedy occurred on January 14 when devotees had gathered in large numbers to witness the “Makarajyothi”, a beacon that fleetingly appears at dusk, marking the culmination of the two-month “Makaravilakku” season from mid-November. The government pleader made the submission before a division bench comprising Justices Thothathil B. Radhakrishnan and P.S. Gopinath, when three petitions, including that of Rationalists Association came up.
The pleader said the Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, has already stated that the government does not want to hold any probe into the issue relating to “Makarajyothi” and “Makaravilakku”.
Meanwhile, since the matter was of public interest, the Devaswom bench, which monitors affairs relating to the shrine, posted the three petitions before the Chief Justice J. Chelameswar for further hearing.
However, the Rationalist Association does not want government machinery to be involved in the lighting of “Makaravilakku”.