The Supreme Court on Friday reiterated that its September 2018 verdict on the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple was not the last word on the subject. The court also declined to direct the Kerala government to provide safe passage to women devotees who wanted to pray at the Sabarimala temple.

“The court does not want to instigate violence at the temple. The law and order situation may be compromised if the court rules in favour of the petitioner… the situation should not become explosive,” a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said on Friday while passing order on a petition filed by two women, Bindu Ammini and Rahna Fathima. Both the women petitioners wanted the court to direct the state government to give protection as they try to make their way into the Sabarimala temple. The former had tried to enter the Sabarimala temple on November 26, a few days after it opened for the annual pilgrimage season. She was met with a pepper stray attack by Ayyappa devotees.

When senior advocate Colin Gonsalves appearing for the petitioner said that Ammini had been denied entry into the Sabarimala temple by the Kerala government, CJI Bobde said, “We do not want any violence. There is a judgement but it is definitely not the last one.”

Senior Advocate Indira Jaising also appearing for the petitioners said, “We are all here to avoid violence and we do not encourage violence. I am representing a woman Bindu who also happens to be a Dalit. She entered the temple without any violence, after the judgement was passed.”

She added, “We are basing our claim on an operative order.”

CJI Bobde replied, “We are exercising discretion in not passing an order in your case. We are not passing any order that she may not enter the temple. It is simply that we are not passing any order.”

When Jaising asked that the review petition be listed at the earliest possible date, CJI Bobde ordered that it be listed earliest after the decision of the seven member constitution bench.

The Supreme Court in September last year in a majority verdict, 4:1, had permitted women of all age groups to visit the Sabarimala temple. The court had said that bias on biological grounds was an infringement of fundamental rights like the Right to Equality. In November this year, the SC had accepted a batch of 65 review petitions against the 2018 verdict and said a larger bench will hear the matter.

—India Legal Bureau

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response of the Centre on a PIL seeking entry of Muslim women in all mosques of the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer issued notice to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice and Minority Affairs on the plea seeking entry of women in mosques, agencies reported.

The plea was filed by one Yasmeen Zuber Ahmad Peerzade for issuance of direction to government authorities and Muslim bodies like Wakf Board to allow women into mosques on grounds that denial amounted to violation of various fundamental rights.

—India Legal Bureau

The Kerala government’s affidavit filed in the Supreme Court listing the names and details of 51 women who its claims were between the ages of 10 and 50 and entered the Sabarimala temple has turned out to be a bare faced lie.

The affidavit triggered a controversy after it made public details of the Aadhaar and telephone numbers of the 51 women with at least one of the 51 turning out to be a man while several other women who were contacted by the media said were well over 50 years old. Displaying his ID card, Paranjyothi, a 47-year-old native of Tamil Nadu, whose name appeared in the affidavit, told television channels that he was wrongly mentioned in the affidavit. One Kalavathi Manohar from Goa was also listed in the affidavit but when the media contacted, her son said his mother was aged 52 and not 43 as stated in the affidavit. Another woman Padmavathy from Andhra Pradesh has been shown as 48 on the list, but when a TV channel contacted her, she said she was 55. For much of Friday, local TV channels also began running stories exposing the list as a fake.

The apex court is to hear 49 revision petitions challenging its September 29 verdict that allowed women of menstrual age to enter and pray at the temple. The hearing was originally scheduled for January 22 but has now been postponed as one of the judges is indisposed. The government had on Friday given a list of names along with their age and Aadhaar details was also submitted in the court.

The counsel for the state told the bench that till now 51 female devotees have entered Sabarimala temple during the ongoing annual pilgrimage season and all of them are being provided adequate security. “In this regard it is submitted that a total of 7,564 women between the age of 10 and 50 years had registered for darshan and as per the digitally scanned records around 51 women in this group have already visited the shrine and had darshan without any issue,” an affidavit of Kerala government given to the court stated.

It is for the first time that the state government has stated that 51 women in the previously barred age group have entered the temple.

“We don’t know on what basis the government had given this submission. No one knew about their entry. Even the media was not aware about the visit,” said Narayana Varma, a member of the erstwhile Pandalam royal family, trustees of the temple.

The Congress also trained its guns on the LDF government, saying the state administration had become “a laughing stock after submitting erroneous and misguiding affidavit. This submission of wrong affidavit has brought shame to the state. The chief minister was responsible for this,” KPCC President Mullappally Ramachandran said.

The state had witnessed widespread violent protests for several days from January 2 after the LDF government confirmed that two women of menstrual age entered the shrine.

—India Legal Bureau

Kanakadurga, among the first women to enter the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala earlier this month was attacked by her mother-in-law as she returned home on Monday. Kanakadurga has been reportedly hospitalised after being hit on her head by her mother-in-law and is undergoing treatment. Reports say she is stable now.

After praying at the temple, she had been in hiding, fearing retribution from right-wing elements and hardcore Ayyappa devotees. Kanakadurga, along with another woman Bindu, both in their forties had entered the Lord Ayyappa shrine temple on January 2 around 3.30 in the morning under the cover of darkness.

Police had checked the CCTV footage at the temple grounds and confirmed that two women entered the sanctum sanctorum at 3:48 am and left at 3:50 am.

Soon after videos of the two entering the temple amid security started flashing on media channels, the head priest ordered to shut the hill shrine for ‘purification’ and the ‘purification’ rituals continued for an hour on the same day.

The entry of the two into the temple was followed by massive protests by devotees as well as political parties. The protests had turned violent even resulting in the death of a devotee due to stone pelting.

The Supreme Court had on September 28 last year struck down an age-old tradition and allowed women of all age group to visit the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala temple overturning a centirues old tradition wherein women of menstruating age were barred from entering the temple.

—India Legal Bureau

Also Read: Violence Erupts In Sabarimala Again As Protestors Forcibly Send Women Back

With only two days left for the Sabarimala temple to reopen for a two month long season, there is a palpable tension in the air as both pro and anti women’s entry groups once again ready to ensure that their writs respective writs run.

Both sides feel emboldened by the Supreme Court decision yesterday to agree to hear the review petitions on January 22. Ayyappa devotees are now hopeful of the original decision being turned down, while the pro entry groups also are optimistic because the SC has not allowed any stay on its September 28 decision to allow women of all ages to enter the temple. The government is responsible for ensuring protection for women who reach Sabarimala since the Supreme Court has clarified that the earlier verdict allowing women of all ages has not been stayed.

The temple will get opened on November 16 and it will get closed on December 27 for the Mandala Pooja. It will again be opened on December 30 and will close on January 20. The SC will consider the review pleas on January 22. While it is for the police to ensure security during the whole pilgrimage season, it is no easy task since the anti womens entry groups have vowed not to allow them. .. More than ten thousand policemen will be deployed at Sabarimala. They will be deployed as five stages.

The Devaswom board that runs the temple has decided to place CCTV cameras  along all entry routes  and  watch towers are also being constructed as observation decks.

–India Legal Bureau

After a relative peaceful opening day of the Sabarimala temple yesterday, tension prevailed at the hilltop shrine on Tuesday as a woman managed to reach the holy steps of the hill shrine.

The devotees surrounded the woman and accused her of being in the “barred age group” of 10 to 50, but police claimed she was 52 years old. However, they stopped protest after she furnished documents to prove her claim. The woman devotee has been identified as one Lalitha, w/o Ravi, from Tirur in Thrissur district of Kerala. Lalitha’s presence saw devotees sit on the sacred eighteen steps in protest. It may be noted that the eighteen steps cannot be climbed without Irumudi kettu.

Even after it was confirmed that Lalitha was above 50, the mob was reluctant to disperse. Later, some women BJP leaders escorted her to Sannidhanam. Lalita was told that the protest is not against her presence but against the LDF government which was trying to destroy Sabarimala.

“The police and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan are behind the havoc in Sabarimala. Devotees are pained at the high-handedness of police who are trying to make women enter Sannidhanam at any cost. This is highly deplorable and BJP protests against the police acting like CPM goons in Sabarimala,” a BJP leader said.

A devotee form Andhra, Vijayalakshmi from Guntur was also blocked from entering the shrine citing that she had now worn the Mala. However, Vijayalakshmi said that she is more than 55 years old and that before the Supreme Court verdict she had come to Sabarimala. “Before the SC verdict women above the restricted age group had no problems to come and have darshan here,” she said.

The doors to Ayyappa temple opened on Monday for the second time in three weeks for a two-day special puja amid unprecedented security over apprehension of protests by those opposing the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups into the shrine.

—India Legal Bureau

In a bid to ensure that the Supreme Court verdict on allowing women into the Sabarimala temple is implemented, the Kerala government has put the areas around the temple under a thick security blanket.

The temple opened for five days on October 17 mark the beginning of the pilgrim season and saw violent protests. Police could only remain mute spectators as pro and anti-women’s entry groups engaged in violent protests; with the latter doing everything to ensure that women of menstruating age got nowhere near the temple. About twenty women, including some muslim and Christian women who claimed to be Lord Ayyappa devotees were forcible turned back.

The SC had on Sep 28 decreed that women of all age groups could enter the temple, overturning a centuries old tradition.

The temple is to open its doors against for the festive season on Nov 5 and the government is taking no chance. Prohibitory orders have been clamped around the temple and district Superintendent of Police T. Narayanan said 1,500 police officials have been deployed in the temple town and will remain till the midnight of November 6 when the temple will close again. He said as of now, there have been no requests from women to enter the shrine.

“If there are any requests, the police will see that the apex court verdict is carried out. None other than the pilgrims would be given permission to the designated areas of the temple,” said Narayanan.

According to the police, no one is allowed to remain in the pathway that leads to the temple, right from the Pamba base camp and also in the areas closer to the sanctum Santorum of the temple.

Restrictions have been clamped for the media and they will only be allowed to reach the temple town on November 5.

As of Saturday, the police have registered 536 cases and arrested 3,719 persons, who protested last month when the temple opened for six days.

Only around 100 are still in jail, while the rest have secured bail.

—India Legal Bureau