This Article is From Oct 24, 2018

Amid Sabarimala Row, 4 Women Seek Police Protection To Pray

The women filed a plea in the Kerala High court seeking a direction to the state government to provide them security.

Amid Sabarimala Row, 4 Women Seek Police Protection To Pray

The Kerala High Court has asked the state government to spell out its stand on the matter.

Kochi:

Four women have approached the Kerala High Court seeking a direction to the state government to provide them security to offer prayers at Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

When the petition filed by AK Maya Krishnan (37), Rekha S (45), Jalajamol P S (35), and Jayamol P S (28) came up Wednesday, a division bench of justices P R Ramachandra Menon and Devan Ramachandran directed the state government to spell out its stand on the matter.

The bench then posted the plea for hearing to Monday.

In their petition, the women, including two lawyers, submitted that despite a judgment of the Supreme Court permitting entry of all women into the hill shrine, the hopes of the women devotees of Lord Ayyappa are still in limbo.

The petitioners alleged that the priests and the Pandalam royal family, who are bound to act under the directions of the Travancore Devaswom Board, were committing contempt of court by protesting in support of those challenging the Supreme Court order.

The very act of protest to prevent the women of all ages from enjoying their fundamental right is a challenge of the established law of the county, they alleged.

Even after the top court order that opened the doors of Sabarimala to menstruating women, angry devotees stopped women in the "barred" age group from entering the shrine.

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