india

Updated: Jan 31, 2019 17:51 IST

The Supreme Court will on February 6 hear review petitions on allowing entry of women of all age groups in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.

The court was to hear the review pleas on January 22 but it had to be delayed as one of the judges of the five-judge bench, Indu Malhotra was on medical leave. Earlier, the top court had refused urgent hearing of the Sabarimala issue and said it will be taken up as scheduled.

The Supreme Court in September last year threw open the doors of the Sabarimala shrine to women of all ages, overturning a traditional ban on women of childbearing age from entering the temple. Female devotees aged between 10 and 50 had for decades been barred from the shrine on grounds that the presiding deity is a celibate, and the court ruling enraged traditionalists in Kerala.

The LDF government of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was determined to uphold the court verdict. On January 2, two women in their 40s became the first to worship at the shrine on Wednesday, breaking the taboo and triggering unrest in many parts of Kerala.

The two women who entered Kerala’s Sabarimala shrine on January 2 had sought police protection fearing backlash from protesting groups. Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga had stayed in an undisclosed location under state protection for almost two weeks after their temple visit. They approached the Supreme Court for protection and the court told the Kerala government to provide round-the-clock security to them.