Pathanamthitta: Travencore Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar on Thursday openly expressed dissension over the Board’s stand in the the Supreme Court verdict.
He said he was unaware of change in stance including furnishing of new arguments while the Board had submitted plea for time to implement the order.
As for the change of stance, he told media that he had sought explanation from Commissioner N. Vasu.
A Padmakumar dissension came following controversy over the Board’s new stand of accepting Supreme Court verdict contrary to its opposition to allowing young women to the temple before the Supreme Court verdict.
Devaswom Board had decided to approach the Supreme Court with a petition seeking time to implement Sabarimala verdict.
The decision was made considering the special situation at Sabarima and decided to move the petition to apprise the court of the situation and buy time, he said.
The affidavit the Board had previously submitted was still before the court. He said he had no idea what had happened in the court on Wednesday.
The Board’s counsel got only three minutes to present the case. The court during the hearing asked counsel whether the Board accepted the February verdict; Padmakumar said he believed counsel to have naturally answered in the affirmative.
Both Dewasom Board commissioner and standing council was in Delhi at the time, and were asked to give explanation, he said.
A Padmakumar said that the commissioner had told him that a lot of things appearing in the media were not true.
Meanwhile, Dewasom Board Commissioner N. Vasu said the Board made no retracting from its stand.
The Board meeting held in November had decided to accept the Supreme Court verdict. Only the decision had been informed the court.
The Board did not seek explanation from him, he said. Also, the commissioner said he would inform the Board president of what had happened in the Supreme Court.
Talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, he said nothing the president was unaware of was presented in the court. He said he didn’t know whether the president had any confusion.