Sabarimala review petitions to be heard on November 13: Supreme Court

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said that review petitions against the Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala temple will be heard on November 13.

On Monday, while hearing an oral mentioning about the case, CJI Gogoi said, “We know there are 19 review petitions pending. By tomorrow, we will decide when to list the matters”.

On September 28, the apex court ruled that women between the ages 10 and 50 can enter the hill shrine of Sabarimala in Kerala. A five-judge Constitution bench comprising former Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar, Rohinton Nariman, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra delivered the judgment, with Justice Indu Malhotra being the lone dissenter. The judgment saw protests from various quarters across Kerala, with many people taking to the streets to voice their opposition.

After Sabarimala temple opened for its monthly pooja on October 17, over 10 women have attempted to enter the shrine but were forced to turn back following massive protests by devotees. While in some cases the devotees were surrounded by protesters and sent back, in other cases, the police said that they will not be able to provide protection for the women. The Pandalam Royal Family and the thanthri family threatened to close the doors of the temple if a woman between the ages of 10 to 50 enters the temple.

Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) decided to file a detailed statement in the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court about the implementation of the SC verdict.

After the monthly pooja, the temple closed on Monday and will open again for around 60 days for the mandala pooja in November.