The Kerala government Tuesday convened an all-party meeting on November 15 to discuss various issues relating to the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, which witnessed widespread protests following the Supreme Court decision to permit entry of women of all ages into the shrine.
The Kerala government Tuesday convened an all-party meeting on November 15 to discuss various issues relating to the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala, which witnessed widespread protests following the Supreme Court decision to permit entry of women of all ages into the shrine.
The decision to call the meeting comes on a day when the apex court refused to stay its September 28 verdict, lifting the centuries-old ban on girls and women in the 10-50 age group from entering the shrine and decided to hear a batch of review petitions in open court on January 22.
The two-month long annual 'Mandala Makkaravillakku' season will start on November 17 and the meeting will also take stock of the arrangements made for devotees.
The temple had witnessed a string of protests from devotees when it opened for monthly pujas for five days in October and two days early this month.
Over 3,700 persons have been arrested so far and 546 cases registered against various people for violence during protests across the state after the top court permitted women of all ages to pray at the LordAyyappa temple at Sabarimala.
Over 500 young women registered for darshan in the online queue website of Kerala police last week.
On September 28, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, lifted the centuries-old ban on girls and women in the 10-50 age group from entering the shrine, saying it amounted to gender discrimination.
The review petitions against the verdict were taken up 'in-chamber' by a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.
"All the Review Petitions along with all pending applications will be heard in Open Court on 22nd January, 2019 before the appropriate Bench. We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this Court dated 28th September, 2018," the order said.
In the in-chamber proceedings, the judges examined the review petitions by circulation and lawyers were not present.
Earlier in the day, the top court made it clear that fresh pleas related to the Sabarimala issue will be heard only after it decides the earlier petitions seeking review of the judgment.
The bench stated this while hearing the three fresh petitions filed by G Vijaya Kumar, S Jaya Rajkumar and Shailaja Vijayan challenging its verdict.
The top court on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on the review plea filed by an association which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench's verdict lifting the ban was "absolutely untenable and irrational".
Opposition leader in the Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala wanted the state government to shed its 'stubbornness' in implementing the September 28 verdict.
"The CPI(M)-led LDF government should act maturely and not implement the decision during the upcoming two-month long pilgrim season," he told reporters at Sabarimala.
"We welcome the apex court's decision to hear the review petition in open court.
Though there is no stay, the government must act maturely and not implement the order,allowing entry of women," he said.
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