Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asserted that the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry to women at the Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Sabarimala has to be enforced immediately.
“No delay is permissible,” he told officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
The TDB, which oversees the temple affairs, has sought time on the plea and said that facilities at Sabarimala need to be improved if more women arrive. After meeting the chief minister, TDB president A. Padmakumar claimed that a 40 per cent increase in pilgrim traffic has to be expected once women devotees too enter the temple popularly known as the Ayyappa temple.
He also said there is little time to improve facilities for the upcoming season, except that minimum conveniences like washrooms could be set up for women. “We asked for 100 acre of land for expansion of facilities. The chief minister has promised land at Nilakkal,” Padmakumar said.
At the same time, he maintained objections to the apex court verdict. “I don't think devotee women will enter Sabarimala,” he said. “The Board will meet to decide on the future course of action in response to the court ruling. A review petition is under consideration.”
The Pandalam royal family had decided the other day to demand, along with the review petition, that the entry of women be decided by a wider constitutional bench of the apex court. At a meeting at the Pandalam palace, it was also decided to approach the Union government seeking legislation to override the apex court ruling.