Minister of Devaswom in Kerala, Kadakampally Surendran, on Wednesday, asked that the Centre bring legislation to protect the faith of all devotees coming to Sabarimala temple, following the September 2018 Supreme Court verdict which allowed women of all ages to enter Sabarimala.

The demand from the CPI(M) government comes in the wake of Kollam MP NK Premachandran moving a private members bill to ban the entry of women into Sabarimala. The bill, according to reports, is likely to come up in the Lok Sabha this week.

According to reports, the Devaswom minister said, “The issue will come up before the Centre as a private bill. Everybody knows the fate of private bills.”

He also asked the BJP state leadership to speak to the Centre about bringing in legislation on the same, adding that the BJP government had a majority in the Centre.

The Sabarimala row which began after the Supreme Court verdict on September 28, 2018 allowing women of all age groups to enter the temple, saw massive protests by right wing groups and the BJP in the state. The protests began after the CPI(M) government took steps to implement the Supreme Court verdict.

Several petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court asking for a review of the September verdict. These are pending before the top court.

Earlier, the temple did not allow women between the 10-50 age group, the menstruating age of women, citing that the idol is celibate.