Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 16 (IANS): The Kerala High Court on Monday took serious note of a Sabarimala temple guard, caught on video pushing and shoving devotees praying before the deity on Saturday - the peak day of the two-month-long pilgrimage season.

The picture of guard Arun Kumar, attached to the Travancore Devasom Board, which runs the day today affairs of the hilltop shrine, had gone viral on the social media and it came before the high court's Devasom bench while a few lawyers also raised this issue.

The court expressed its displeasure and asked who is this person and what authority does he have to touch the body of pilgrims.

When the state government counsel contended that this was done as part of the crowd control, the court pointed out that there are scientific methods of crowd control and that is the duty of the police.

The court asked to include the TDB's top official and also Arun Kumar as a party in the case and posted the case for next Tuesday.

Incidentally, Arun Kumar has now been identified as a trade union leader of the CPI-M attached to the TDB and is a close associate of State Education Minister V. Sivankutty.

The TDB suspended Arun Kumar for his act.