Kerala govt claims 51 women entered Sabarimala shrine

Provide security to Kanakadurga and Bindu, who entered Sabarimala, directs SC

Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala | PTI Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala | PTI

The Kerala government on Friday claimed in the Supreme Court that 51 women in the 'barred' age group have entered the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala during the current season post the September 28 verdict of the apex court. In a first, the Kerala government also submitted the names and other details of the 51 women who successfully completed their pilgrimage to the shrine. 

READ: Sabarimala: Bindu, Kanakadurga entered temple, confirms Kerala CM Vijayan


Most of the women devotees were from states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Goa, the government submitted in the apex court. 

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by Kanakadurga and Bindu—the first two women to visit the Sabarimala temple—who approached the court seeking protection. The apex court directed the Kerala Police to provide adequate security to the women. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices L.N. Rao and S.K. Kaul delivered the order after senior advocate Indira Jaising, on Thursday, contended that the matter should be heard urgently as one of the women was assaulted by her mother in-law.

The plea sought round-the-clock security to both the women due to threat to their life for entering into the hilltop shrine. The plea also sought directions to all authorities to allow women of all age groups to enter the temple without any hindrance and to ensure security and safe passage, including police security to women wishing to enter the temple in future.

Kanakadurga and Bindu visited the shrine in December, despite protests from right-wing Hindu groups. They have, ever since, been receiving threats from various quarters. Following the entry of Kanakadurga and Bindu into the shrine, the chief priest had decided to close the sanctum sanctorum of the temple to perform the 'purification' ceremony.