While holding that circumvention of ban on synthetic kumkum cannot be permitted, the Kerala High Court has impleaded a Certifying Lab and a firm allegedly distributing synthetic kumkum, in the suo moto case relating to Sabarimala Temple.

The High Court, on November 7, 2025, had directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to take immediate steps to ban the sale of chemical kumkum at Sabarimala.

The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar asserted, “Having considered the submissions, we find that, in order to circumvent the ban imposed by this Court, the sale of KumKum continues unabated. Under no circumstances can the same be permitted.”

Senior Government Pleader S. Rajmohan represented the Petitioner.

Factual Background

The High Court, on November 12, 2025, held that the sale and use of kumkum are governed by multiple statutory frameworks. The Court had made it explicit that under no circumstances would the sellers be permitted to manufacture, distribute, or sell chemically manufactured or synthetic KumKum to devotees.

It had come to the notice of the Panchayat authorities that the sale of synthetic KumKum was being carried out extensively. Upon conducting inspections, it was revealed that the KumKum in circulation was being distributed by an establishment by name ‘Ideal Enterprises’. The vendors dealing in such KumKum were producing a certificate allegedly issued by 'Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited – Laboratory. It was pointed out that it was not possible to ascertain whether the kumkum so distributed is sourced from natural ingredients.

Reasoning

The Bench noted that the sale of kumkum continued unabated. “Prima facie, it appears that the principal distributor is the firm known as 'Ideal Enterprises'”, it stated.

The Bench thus suo motu impleaded Ideal Enterprises as well as Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited – Laboratory. “The Registry shall carry out the impleadment”, it ordered while posting the matter on December 5,2025.

Cause Title: Suo Motu v. Union Government (Case No.: SSCR No. 29 of 2025)

Appearance

Respondents: Senior Government Pleader S.Rajmohan, Deputy Solicitor General of India, Standing Counsel Travancore Devaswom Board G.Biju, Standing Counsels for Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayoor Devaswom Managing Committee, Standing Counsel Erumely Grama Panchayath Chithra Chandrasekharan, Standing Counsel Chengannur Municipality Haridas V.N., Amicus Curiae Sayujya Radhakrishnan, Advocate V.Premchand

Click here to read/download Order


Kerala High CourtJustice Raja Vijayraghavan VJustice K.V. Jayakumar

Tulip Kanth

Assistant Editor

Tulip Kanth is an Assistant Editor at Verdictum having over 5 years of experience in the field of legal journalism and editing. She extensively covers judgments of the Supreme Court, High Courts as well as Tribunals. She has previously worked with a legal publishing website where she oversaw the work of other editors and has also created updates on notifications of different Government Ministries. She holds an English Honours Degree from SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University and has completed her LLB course with specialisation in Corporate Law from Amity University.