The Kerala High Court on Thursday refused to intervene in the Sabarimala row or stay the Supreme Court’s (SC) order that allows entry of women of all ages into the temple.
The refusal came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) which sought a temporary ban on the order till the Apex court considers a batch of review petitions on November 13.
Original order
A Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court observed it cannot intervene in the matter since the original order had been pronounced by the SC.
It appreciated the efforts of the State government in implementing the order.
Meanwhile, the State unit of the BJP in Kochi on Thursday discussed the modus operandi for sustaining the protests against the SC’s verdict.
The core committee met ahead of a wider discussions on the conduct of the six-day rath yatra announced by the BJP from Kasaragod, the northern-most district, to Pathanamthitta, the district where the hill shrine is located.
The yatra will begin on November 8 and end on the 13th.
Apart from the State-level leaders, representatives from the Parliamentary constituencies will also take part in the meeting, sources in the party said.
Prospects of ‘shepherding elements within the Congress party’, who are disgruntled with the party’s stance over Sabarimala, were also reportedly discussed in the meeting. Meanwhile in Kottayam, a conference of various Hindu organisations decided to intensify the protests against the implementation of the SC verdict.
In the meeting it was alleged that the State government is trying to put pressure on the devotees to stay back and not proceed with the pilgrimage.
Mobilising support
The decision to conduct ‘Sarana Ghosha Parikramas’ (prayer and chant processions) in all villages in the State on November 4, when the temple will reopen for rituals, was also made.
These processions will be extended to the urban centres on November 5 and 6. A fund-raising will be conducted in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta from November 1 to 4.
The temple will reopen for the annual Mandalapuja-Makaravilakku festival on November 16, and go on till December 27, attracting crores of pilgrims.