india

Updated: Nov 16, 2019 02:01 IST

A day after the Supreme Court referred the Sabarimala issue to a larger bench, the Kerala government on Friday said it had no plan to provide security to women pilgrims to the hilltop temple.

State temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran said the government will not give protection to women activists and they should get a court order if they still wanted to visit the shrine.

The government reaction comes in the wake of women activists saying that the apex court order was a green signal to them. Bhoomata Brigade leader Trupti Desai and Chennai-based group Maniti Sangam had announced their plan to worship at the temple. Apart from them, 45 women devotees had already applied at the temple’s online portal for a ‘darshan.’

On Desai’s plan, the minister said the shrine was not a place for activists and publicity-mongers and blamed the media for giving undue coverage to some of them. “If anyone needs to go, they can approach the court and obtain orders in this regard,” he said. Later, state law minister A K Balan also said, “We have made it clear that it is not the government’s job to take women to the temple,” adding that the government had sought legal advice and would maintain status quo till the fresh verdict comes.

Both opposition Congress and BJP have welcomed the government’s decision. “We welcome the government’s decision if it is sincere,” said BJP general secretary M T Ramesh. “It seems the Communists will realize their folly very late,” said Congress leader Joseph Vazakkan.

The government reportedly had antagonized devotees with its stance last year which reportedly led to its heavy loss in the elections; the Left Democratic Front lost all but one of the 20 seats in the state. The party was forced to start a statewide campaign saying it was not against believers. “Though CM Pinarayi Vijayan is keen to open temple doors to women of all ages, the party has advised him to go slow on contentious issue. The party can’t afford a belligerent position now,” said political commentator Sunnykutty Abraham.

This time, the government has decided not to impose prohibitory orders on two base camps, Pambha and Nilakkal, and the shrine. For three-month pilgrimage season, the temple will open Saturday evening. At least 10,000 cops have been deployed at the temple and its base camps, said police.

On Thursday, the five-judge bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi gave its ruling in a majority 3:2 verdict.

Justice Indu Malhotra, who have given a dissenting judgment in this case last year, and Justice AM Khanwilkar were the other two judges. But Justice RF Nariman and Justice DY Chandrachud have backed rejecting review petitions questioning 2018 verdict.