They alleged that there are threats to their life and liberty.
The two women who surreptitiously entered the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple on January 2 have appealed to the Supreme Court to grant them 24x7 protection. The petition also asked the top court to issue order that the temple not carry out purification rituals after women enter it. The court has said it would hear the plea on Friday.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising listed the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices LN Rao and SK Kaul on Thursday. The petition said there was danger to the life and liberty of the two women, Kanakadurga (44) and Bindu (42), news agency PTI reported.
Kanakadurga had allegedly been assaulted by her mother-in-law when she returned home after her entry into the Sabarimala temple. Her husband had earlier filed a report with the police that she had gone missing, and had reportedly disowned her after her entry into the temple.
The entry of the two women into the temple through a side entrance in the wee hours of January 2 had been met with anger and sporadic violence, which led to the arrest of about 3,500 people.
The petition sought that the Supreme Court issue directions declaring that any form of prevention of women aged between 10 to 50 years from visiting the hill shrine is contrary to its September 28, 2018 verdict. A five-judge Constitution Bench of the top court had delivered a 4-1 verdict that allowed women to enter the temple.
However, devotes, protestors and right wing organisations have held vigils and physically blocked women from entering the shrine. The tradition at Sabarimala bars women of menstruating age from entering the temple on the grounds that the presiding deity, Ayyappa, is considered an 'eternal celibate'.
After the two women were led into the temple under heavy police protection, the chief priest had shut the temple for 'purification rituals'.
There are around 48 petitions seeking review of the judgment and they were filed following violent protests in favour and against the verdict.
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 "Kanakadurga and Bindu during an earlier failed attempt to reach the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.")
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