Sabarimala row: RSS does a U-turn, opposes SC verdict

Even as violent protests continue across Kerala against the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala temple, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Thursday made a dramatic volte-face from its earlier stand and said the judgment had not taken into consideration the nature and premise of tradition.

In his customary Dussehra address to the Sangh cadres at the headquarters in Nagpur, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the top court verdict has led to "divisiveness" in the society.

"Questions such as why only the Hindu society experiences such repeated and brazen onslaughts on its symbols of faith, obviously arise in the public's mind and lead to unrest," he said.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine situated on the Western Ghats in the Pathanamthitta district.

Bhagwat said the nature and premise of the tradition that has been accepted by society and continuously followed for years together were not taken into consideration in the verdict.

The RSS chief said the verdict has given rise to unrest, turmoil and divisiveness in the society in place of peace, stability and equality. He said the verdict has not taken into account the version of the heads of religious denominations and faith of crores of devotees. “The plea by a large section of women, who follow this tradition, was not heard too," Bhagwat said.

The top court order has sparked off widespread protests in the southern state with thousands of people, mainly women, hitting the street over the last two weeks. The protests turned violent on Wednesday when the temple opened for the the five-day monthly poojas for the Malayalam month of Thulam.

A few Hindu organisations have filed a review petition demanding that the tradition at the temple be protected.

(With PTI inputs)