Sabarimala Temple board to move Supreme Court seeking more time to allow entry of women

In a dramatic turn of event, the Travancore Devaswom Board, which is in charge of Sabarimala Temple, on Friday decided to move the Supreme Court asking for more time to implement its judgement allowing women in the menstrual age to worship at the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

According to TDB President A Padmakumar, the board will move the court either Saturday or Monday as the temple opened this evening amid mounting tension in the backdrop of the stand-off over protests by devotees against entry of the women in 10-50 age group.

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"If possible, we will move a petition in the Supreme Court either tomorrow or Monday', he said adding the board wants devotees to have peaceful darshan," Padmakumar was quoted as saying.

The move came a day after the Pinarayi Vijayan government at an all-party meeting Thursday took a firm stand that it was bound to implement the Supreme Court order and rejected suggestions by opposition parties that it seek more time for the same.

Anticipating a breakdown of law and order, security has been beefed up at the temple and surrounding areas. As the Kerala shrine reopened for 62-day-long Mandala Pooja lakhs of devotee throng to Sabarimala and will offer prayers to Lord Ayyappa, a celibate.

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The Supreme Court will hear petitions seeking review of its September 28 order in January, but has refused to stay it.