A plea has been moved before the Kerala High Court challenging a stop memo that stalled preparations for the revival of the Mahamagha Mahotsavam after nearly 250 years. The Court has asked the State government to respond and posted the matter for further hearing.
The Kerala High Court on Monday asked the State government to explain its stand on a plea challenging a stop memo that halted preparations for the ‘Thirunavaya Mahamagh Mahotsavam’, a major Hindu pilgrimage festival proposed to be revived on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river after nearly 250 years.
The case came up before Justice C Jayachandran, who directed the government to file its response regarding the stop memo issued by the Village Officer of Thirunavaya under the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001. The Court posted the matter for further hearing on January 20.
The plea was filed by MK Vijaykumar, convener of the Mahamagha Mahotsava Organising Committee. According to the petition, the festival ‘Mahamagh Mahotsavam’, scheduled to be held from January 16 to February 3 at Thirunavaya in Malappuram district, is popularly described as the ‘Kumbh Mela of South India’. The festival marks the revival of an ancient Hindu ritual that was stopped during the British period.
As stated in the plea, around 50,000 devotees from across South India are expected to attend the festival every day. Preparations for the event had started in November last year.
The organisers had approached all concerned authorities, including the District Collector, revenue officials, police, fire force and local self-government institutions, to obtain permissions and ensure proper coordination.
During a meeting held on December 5 by the Tirur Sub-Collector, it was decided that three temporary bridges would be constructed across the river to help devotees move safely.
The organisers also agreed to deploy 600 volunteers to manage crowds. Officials were assigned duties such as monitoring river water levels, controlling traffic, installing CCTV cameras and arranging other necessary facilities at the venue.
The petitioner further stated that on January 15, the District Collector issued detailed guidelines directing that strict crowd control measures be put in place, especially in areas where large gatherings were expected.
According to the organisers, all these directions were followed, including arrangements for round-the-clock medical teams, emergency evacuation plans and traffic management systems.
However, while the festival preparations were underway, the Village Officer of Thirunavaya issued a stop memo on January 8, objecting to the construction of temporary bridges across the river. This order immediately stopped all festival-related activities.
Challenging this action, the petitioner argued that the Village Officer has no authority to issue such a stop memo. It was contended that under Section 13 of the Act, only the government or the District Collector has the power to pass orders to close a river or stop activities in case of encroachment or obstruction on river banks.
The plea also pointed out that the Village Officer is only an ex-officio member of the Kadavu committee and does not have any independent powers. The Kadavu committee is responsible for regulating sand removal from river banks and specific sand collection points within a district.
According to the petition, the law is mainly intended to prevent illegal sand mining and not to stop religious festivals. It was specifically argued that no sand removal activity was involved in the construction of the temporary bridges for the festival.
The petition has been filed through advocates Amith Krishnan, Hanna Mary Mathew, Manavi Muraleedharan and Kavya KP.
Case Title:
MK Vijaykumar v District Collector & ors
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