Having failed to implement the Supreme Court order that allowed women between the ages of 10 and 50 to enter the Sabarimala temple, the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan targeted the BJP, RSS and the Congress and said they had planned to create an atmosphere of tension in the state by misleading believers and spreading lies and falsehoods.
“No force will be allowed to turn the shrine complex into a centre for trouble-makers he told reporters in the state capital of Thiruvanathapuram. The SC had in a landmark judgement on Sep 28 in a historic verdict on September 28 permitted women of all ages to offer prayers at Sabarimala, where earlier those between 10-50 could not visit. Though many women set out from various parts of the country for the shrine atop the hill on the western ghats—some even reached within 500 metres—they were forcibly turned away by “devotees” who “insulted and as well as misled them”.
The chief minister reiterated that his government has the responsibility to implement the Supreme Court order, he accused the Congress and BJP joining hands to subvert the SC order. “Such criminals will not be allowed to turn the temple complex into a trouble zone,” he said an added that his government would restore the peace and harmony at Sabarimala and this will be through the cooperation of “actual believers” of Lord Ayyappa, Vijayan said.
The blocking of women and attack on media personnel, who had come to cover the historic event, was part of a conspiracy led by the RSS, he alleged. The temple in Sabarimala had witnessed high drama and tense moments for six days when it was opened for monthly prayers from October 17 to 22.
—India Legal Bureau