Sabarimala row: TDB to move Supreme Court on Monday

Pamba (Kerala), November 17

The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the Sabarimala shrine, would move the Supreme Court on Monday seeking more time to implement its order allowing women of menstrual age to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The TDB’s move comes a day after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, at an all-party meeting, took a firm stand that it was bound to implement the top court order and rejected suggestions by opposition parties that it seek time from the court.

“We will move the Supreme court on Monday through advocate Chandra Uday Singh,” TDB president A Padmakumar told PTI.

The board on Friday had said it would move the apex court either on Saturday or Monday seeking more time to implement the September 28 verdict of the top court allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers at the Sabarimala shrine as it wanted the devotees to have peaceful ‘darshan’.

The temple and surrounding areas have come under unprecedented security for the season which draws lakhs of devotees to offer prayers to Lord Ayyappa.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear petitions seeking review of its September 28 order in January, but has refused to stay it. PTI