Kerala court to hear BJP leader’s bail plea

The Kerala High Court will tomorrow consider an appeal by Bharatiya Janata Party leader P S Sreedharan Pillai seeking anticipatory bail over his speech instigating people to violate a Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple.

Police had launched criminal proceedings against Pillai for his address to his followers with “intent to incite one community against another,” which could land him in jail for three years.

Pillai, a leading criminal lawyer, is the president of the Kerala unit of the BJP, which is at the forefront of the “Save Sabarimala” campaign.

In his speech at a meeting of the party’s youth wing Bharatiya Yuva Morcha early this month, Pillai had said if women of all ages enter the temple breaking its tradition and the chief priest closes its entrance, it would not amount to contempt of court.

“The tantri is not alone, we are all with him,” Pillai had said, which the police see as aimed at inducing the devotees to defy the court verdict.

He had also said the priest, Kandararu Rajeevaru, had called him and sought his legal opinion.

A day later, Rajeevaru denied contacting him, after which Pillai changed tack and said someone had called him but he not sure who it was.

In his petition, Pillai said he had not made any statement with an intention to cause fear or alarm among people and incite violence but called for a peaceful protest.