New Delhi: The National Ayyappa Devotees Association and the Nair Service Society (NSS) on Monday filed separate pleas in the Supreme Court seeking review of the Constitution bench judgement which lifted the ban on entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple.
The plea filed by devotees association president Shylaja Vijayan said the September 28 judgment was 'absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse.'
The NSS review petition, readied by former attorney general and senior advocate K Parasaran, was filed by advocate K V Mohanan. "The petition lists out specific points in the earlier verdict and seeks to hear arguments on them,” said NSS general secretary G Sukumaran.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had in its 4:1 verdict, said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and that the practice violates rights of Hindu women.
A review petition can be filed within a month of the pronouncement of the verdict. Various other Hindu religious organisations are also moving the SC.
Meanwhile, the family of Sabarimala tantris refused to hold talks with the Kerala government on the SC order. Declining the invite by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Sabarimala priest Kandararu Mohanaru asked government for a final decision over filing the review petition. "Once the government's stand is clear we will decide on what needs to be done. To deploy female police personnel on the temple premises is a violation of the temple practices," said Mohanaru.
However, the Pandalam palace hinted that it hasn't shut the doors completely on talks with the government on the issue. Palace representative Sasikumara Varma said they are not willing to take part in any talks with a preconceived view.
Those taking part in 'namajapa' (chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa) marches are coming on their own. The Pandalam palace and the tantri (priest) family alone can't organise protests in such a large scale, Varma told Manorama News.
Regarding the talks on the SC verdict, the government has taken the stand that if the tantri's family stays away, there is no need to invite them for any further talks. The chief minister decided to harden his stand following the decision of the palace and tantri family to not to take part in the talks.
On Sunday, hundreds of Ayyappa devotees, especially women, took part in 'namajapa' (chanting the hymns of Lord Ayyppa) rallies at Tripunithura in Ernakulam and Tirunakkara in Kottayam, demanding the safeguarding of 'sanatana dharma,' the tradition of Hinduism.
In Tripunithura, the faithfuls started the march from a temple dedicated to Lord Dharma Sastha, an incarnation of Lord Ayyappa, at Tamarakulangara in the morning.
