SC opens Sabarimala to women of all ages; temple tantri unhappy
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28 : The historic Supreme Court judgment which on Friday allowed women of all ages to enter Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in Kerala, has left the temple tantris (priests) and those associated with it by tradition disappointed.
They plan to file a review petition against the verdict that came after 12 years of legal battle and nearly a month ahead of the annual pilgrimage that starts in November.
Expressing disappointment, temple tantri (chief priest) K. Rajeevaru said: "While I will respect the court's directive, I wish tradition and culture is allowed to continue.
"The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) will decide on the appeal challenging today's decision, only after a discussion."
On whether the temple will allow women from all age groups to come for the annual pilgrimage when it opens for the two-month long season in November, he said he did not know "how it would be managed this time".
"As of now, what I can say is at present there are no facilities that are there and now the TDB will have to do the needful," Rajeevaru added.
Until now according to the rule of the temple located on a hilltop in Pathanamthitta district, about 130 km from the state capital, has remained closed to women in the age group of 10 to 50 years.
State Minister for Devasoms (a watchdog body of temples which oversees the functioning of all the Devasom Boards in Kerala), K.Surendran said: "This has been a long standing legal battle both in the Kerala High Court and now Supreme Court."
"The state government has nothing to do as it is the TDB which has to see that the directive is followed," the senior leader from Communist Party of India-Marxist party said.
Over the years, the Left government has always been for opening the temple doors to all women.
TDB President A. Padmakumar said that they were now duty-bound to see that the directive of the apex court is put into practice.
"We will now speak with the state government to see what needs to be done. The long legal battle is over now," said Padmakumar.
Spokesperson of the Pandalam Royal Family, which has an integral role in the affairs of the Sabarimala temple, Sasikumar Varma said the palace was disappointed with the verdict
All the jewels of the temple is stored in the Pandalam Palace.
"Just by a verdict, the century old traditions of Sabarimala has been changed and that's very sad. Every religious place has its own traditions and culture that is practiced for its own reasons," said the palace spokesperson.
"If you look, devotees enter mosque with their footwear, but it does not happen in temples. Just like that, Sabarimala temple has its own traditions -- one of which is that all pilgrims who come to the temple undergo a 41 day penance, and that should not be forgotten," said Varma.
Meanwhile, Rahul Eashwaran, a family member of the Sabarimala tantri, said that they were deeply saddened by the verdict and would file a review petition.
"Various Hindu organisations will now get together and conduct special prayer sessions. We have time till October 16 to file a review petition which would be done after discussing with all.
"This is not a balanced judgement and Article 25 of the Constitution has been overlooked," said Eashwaran.
Geetha, a teacher by profession and a popular face in TV debates batting for gender equality, said that she welcomed the judgement.
"It's understandable that people like Eashwaran oppose this and it's quite natural. The verdict is welcome and now all those women who wish to visit the temple can do so now," said Geetha.
Although she added that she did not expect the coming season from November to see a big flow of women devotees, as all along till now they were told that it was out of bound for women.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
