The State police on Thursday informed the Kerala High Court that the virtual queue system for Sabarimala, indigenously designed and developed by the police, was managed with the cooperation of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
When cases relating to the issue of management of the virtual queue system came up before the Bench comprising Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice P.G. Ajithkumar, State Attorney N. Manoj Kumar appearing for the police submitted that the virtual queue system was a small part of the Sabarimala Pilgrim Management System (SPMS), a single online platform providing all Sabarimala-related services to devotees.
The ownership of the virtual queue system was vested with the police for better coordination on the field, considering the difficult terrain of Sabarimala. It was introduced with the approval of the High Court during the 2011-12 Sabarimala season.
Govt. role
During the hearing, the Bench asked whether the State Government and its police force could manage the virtual queue system without the involvement of the TDB. The court wanted to know the role of the Government in managing the functions of the temple and asked how could the virtual queue platform be registered in the name of the police.
The State Attorney also submitted that the virtual queue system was implemented as part of the crowd-management scheme. In fact, it was implemented by the police in consultation with the board.
24x7 helpline
Objecting to the Sabarimala Special Commissioner’s report against entrusting the system with the police, S. Sreejith, Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch) and Chief Police Coordinator at Sabarimala, said that the devotees had not made any complaints against the management or administration of the virtual queue system . The police operated a 24x7 helpline to attend to any issues in virtual queue booking during the Sabarimala season.
