Talks held here to end the impasse over implementing the Supreme Court verdict granting unrestricted entry for young women to Sabarimala remained inconclusive on Tuesday, with the Travancore Devaswom Board and the agitators refusing to budge from their declared positions.
Board president A.Padmakumar held discussions with members of the royal family of the erstwhile Pandalam kingdom, members of the Tantri (chief priest) family Kantararu Rajeevaru and Kantararu Mohanaru, and representatives of the Ayyappa Seva Sanghom and Ayyappa Seva Samajam, among others.
Meeting on October 18
Mr. Padmakumar told The Hindu after the meeting that the board was willing to go to any extent to hammer out a solution, but those who attended the talks insisted on a review petition being filed today itself. The board then tried to explain to them the practical issues that had to be tackled before filing the petition. It would have to take legal counsel. There were also other preparations to be made. The board said it would meet on Thursday and take a final call. They were unwilling to accept the proposal, Mr. Padmakumar said.
Pandalam Palace Coordination Committee president P.G.Sasikumar Varma confirmed that they demanded that the board file the petition on Tuesday itself and take adequate legal steps to prevent implementation of the verdict. “We wanted the board to maintain status quo till a final resolution was arrived at. Pilgrims will start moving to the temple from Wednesday and we could not afford to wait till Thursday for evolving a solution,” he said.
Both Mr.Padmakumar and Mr. Varma said that the doors for further talks had not been closed.
It may take place in due course, but no specific time frame had been set for the next round.
