Sabarimala verdict: Kerala not to move review petition, says Pinarayi

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday that the state government will not move a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict on the entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple.

Addressing media persons here on Monday, the CM said since the state had stated in its affidavit in the SC that the verdict would be implemented, the state would not move a review petition.

The state government was not against devotees. The government was ready to hold discussions but would not yield to those who created issues with political motives, he said. The CM alleged that attempts were being made to destroy the unity and secular fabric of the state, witnessed during the days of the deluge.

“It is relevant to recall the role of Mannath Padmanabhan during the renaissance movement. He He fought against the wrong practices which were prevalent in the community. Kerala progressed through such social reformation.’ Pinarayi said.

“Earlier, there was a notion not to interfere with religious practices. However, national institutions changed this stand and revolutionary movements like Vaikom Satyagraha were the result of this policy change. Renaissance institutions have brought major changes to the lives of Kerala women community,” he said. The CM also asked not to link the SC verdict with Kerala's social progress.

He affirmed that the LDF government was not behind the SC verdict and it was not the state government’s stand that prompted the SC to take that decision.

The SC also considered the argument that women of all ages used to visit the temple during the monthly rituals, he said.