Former head of Travancore Devaswom Board declared that his family would not follow the order. "I am unhappy... A constitutional authority cannot interfere in religious matters," said Prayar Gopalakrishnan, a former chief of the Travancore Devaswom Board that controls the Sabarimala temple.

He was controversial for saying once that women could be allowed only when a machine was invented to scan if it is the "right time" -- meaning, they are not menstruating.