Weeks after the Supreme Court allowed the entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple, has decided to file a statement at the court explaining its stand and the ground situation after the verdict.
Reports stated that the decision was taken at a TDB meeting that was held on Friday evening. TDB President A Padmakumar said that the decision was to file a detailed statement on the issues the board faced while implementing the SC verdict.
Adding that 25 review petitions are already pending before the apex court, he said that further decision on a review petition from the board’s side can be decided only after a meeting with the board’s counsel.
“TDB is under pressure over implementing the SC verdict. Now the Centre has also urged the state government to provide security for implementing the verdict. Several incidents have occurred in Sabarimala while trying to implement the order. There has been some attempt to politicize the issue. All these issues will be brought before the Supreme Court,” Padmakumar told Times of India.
The TDB had initially planned to file a review petition after the verdict but gave up on the plan after the state government supported the verdict and decided not to challenge it. The decision taken on Friday, to file a detailed statement at the apex court, indicates that the government is trying to find a solution to what is developing into a serious law and order problem in the state, reports said.
The third day since the opening of the Sabarimala temple this year saw three women trying to climb up to the hill only to be asked to return. As of Friday, no woman has entered the Sabarimala temple despite the Supreme Court ruling that women of all ages can go up to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Many devotees who are against the entry of women into the temple have been staging protests along the route up to the temple.