The Supreme Court decision to refer to a larger Bench a clutch of petitions seeking to review its September 28, 2018 verdict granting unrestricted entry to women all age groups to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple is unlikely to set the ground for a fresh bout of violence and political confrontation in the State.
Though vexed over the reported lack of clarity over the status of the Supreme Court verdict passed in 2018, easing curbs on the entry of women of child-bearing age to the temple, neither Sangh Parivar organisations that spearheaded the Sabarimala agitation nor the Left Democratic Front and the State government seem to be in a haste in rushing into conclusions on the latest SC decision.
‘To abide by decision’
The State government has clarified that it would strictly abide by the court decision and is duty-bound to implement it in its true spirit. The government and the Travancore Devaswom Board have sought legal advice and would firm up their views only on the basis of the counsel.
The Sangh Parivar organisations, which considered the Sabarimala issue as a launchpad for wresting political ground in the State by emerging as a third alternative to the rival fronts, seem to have adopted a wait-and-watch approach. The outcome of the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly byelections have proved that such agitations and a political strategy worked out on the Sabarimala issue were inadequate to fortify the political base of the BJP and its allies.
Govt. stance
The government had all along been reiterating that it was committed to ensuring a peaceful pilgrimage and may not rush into decisions that would cost it dearly, especially in the local body elections in mid-2020 and the subsequent Assembly elections.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front, which reaped all the gains without much effort, has welcomed the decision and reiterated its resolve to protect the interest of the faithful. The UDF’s move would again prompt the BJP and the LDF to tread cautiously.
