SC will review its Sabarimala order

Entry of women not restricted as court refuses to grant stay, but priests, protesters celebrate

NEWDELHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A five-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ranjan Gogoi, on Tuesday agreed to reconsider its September judgment that allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, but refused to stay the operation of the verdict that would have the effect of disallowing the entry of women into the hilltop shrine.

The apex court bench, also comprising justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, fixed January 22 to take up the 49 review petitions calling for a reversal of its September 28 verdict and other applications in the matter.

In Kerala, the court’s decision to revisit the verdict was greeted with relief. Glued to their television sets the whole day, devotees of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity in Sabarimala, celebrated the ruling by staging victory rallies and distributing sweets. Kerala’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M), which has vowed to enforce the court order, said the decision to review the verdict was not a setback to it, but both the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, to see the writing on the wall and drop his “adamant posture”.

This order was issued after the petitions were circulated among the judges in their chambers

at 3pm, in accordance with rules of the top court. No lawyers are present during these proceedings. As per the rules, the bench that delivers the original verdict considers the review petition.

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