The Kerala government is likely to go slow on facilitating the entry of women of childbearing age to the Sabarimala temple this time in light of the Supreme Court order referring the matter to a larger bench.
Although the court had on Wednesday said there was no stay on the September 2018 verdict that lifted age restrictions on the entry of women to the hill shrine, legal opinion suggested that the government need not hurry in taking a decision.
Sources said legal experts had advised the government to wait for more clarity on the latest order of the Supreme Court as the case had been referred to a larger seven-judge bench.
Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran told reporters on Friday that the government was in no hurry to facilitate the entry of women of childbearing age to the temple.
“We have sought further advice from legal experts on how to go about it. The chief minister will hold discussions with the advocate-general and the law secretary,” Surendran said, indicating that the Left Democratic Front government was taking things slow this year.
The government had faced severe criticism for forcibly implementing the September 2018 verdict and helping two women of childbearing age enter the temple.
After the court order on Thursday, the Opposition BJP and Congress warned the government against “disturbing peace”.
The Sabarimala temple opened on Saturday for the annual Mandala Pooja pilgrimage season when lakhs of devotees arrive at the shrine. This will peak on January 15 when the maximum number of devotees visits the shrine for the Makara Vilakku. Thousands of policemen are deployed each year to help the pilgrims.
At this juncture, the government does not want to provide a platform for Sangh parivar organisations that oppose the entry of women of the proscribed age.
Surendran also had a word for women activists who might be trying to enter the temple. “The government will not provide security to activists who might try to go to the temple. If they really want to go, let them get written permission from the court,” he said.
“The government is not interested in projecting their personal interests,” said the minister.
Trupti Desai, founder of the Pune-based Bhumata Brigade, has said she would visit the temple this season. She and her associates were stopped at Kochi airport by hundreds of Sangh parivar activists last November 19 when she came to attend the Mandala Pooja.
Surendran’s statement came at a time when 56 women of childbearing age have registered their names on the online portal to enter the Sabarimala temple.
Manithi Sangham, a Chennai-based women’s rights group that tried to help women enter the shrine last year, is also said to be gearing up to make another bid.
N. Vasu, the new president of the Travancore Devaswom Board that governs the Sabarimala temple, said he too was not rushing to take a decision on women’s entry.
“We have sought legal opinion from the lawyers in Delhi who appeared for us in the Supreme Court. We expect a written advice to come in about two days,” Vasu said.