Showdown At Sabarimala: Can Faith Override The Rule Of Law?

The gates of the Sabarimala temple opened at 5 pm this evening for a period of two months. This is the third time the temple has opened since the Supreme Court on September 28 allowed women of all ages to enter the shrine. Amid unrelenting protests by devotees and political workers, over 15,000 policemen are posted in and around Sabarimala and teams of commandos and disaster response personnel are on standby. Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the Ayyappa temple, has decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking more time to implement its verdict on the entry of women.