Sabarimala row: BJP’s Surendran gets bail

The Kerala High Court Friday granted conditional bail to BJP general secretary K Surendran in a case related to alleged attack on a 52-year old woman pilgrim by frenzied Lord Ayyappa devotees at the Sabarimala Temple on November 6.

Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan directed Surendran to surrender his passport, not to enter the Pathanamthitta district, in which the Lord Ayyappa temple is located, till the charge sheet in the case is filed and furnish a bail bond of ₹2 lakh.

During the hearing, the state government had strongly opposed the relief, saying Surendran, if released on bail, would attempt to incite violence at the hill shrine. This is the second case related to the Sabarimala protests in which the BJP leader had been granted bail.

He was initially arrested on Nov 17 from Nilackal, base camp, while on way to the Sabarimala Temple after he attempted to defy prohibitory orders and refused to go back despite request from police. Surendran was granted bail in the case on Nov 21 by a court in Pathanamthitta, but remained in prison till date as he was also booked in case related to the alleged attack on the woman pilgrim.

The woman pilgrim, who had come to the Sannidhanam for the ‘choorunu’ (rice feeding ceremony) of her grandchild, was blocked and allegedly attacked by angry devotees on Nov 6, during a special puja, suspecting her to be in the “barred” age group of 10-50.

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