Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President PS Prasanth said on Wednesday that the board’s last affidavit, submitted to the Supreme Court in 2016, sought to protect the traditional rituals and customs related to the entry of young women into the Sabarimala temple.
Speaking to reporters, Prasanth explained that no new affidavit has been submitted since then and that the previous one is no longer relevant. His comments were a response to queries on whether or not the TDB would change its position in the Supreme Court regarding the entry of women of menstruating age into the Lord Ayyappa shrine. The opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party have both called on the TDB to clarify its stance on the issue.
The TDB President added that over the past four or five years, all rituals and customs have been strictly followed at the Sabarimala temple without any deviation. “The matter is pending before the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court. As far as the TDB is concerned, the last affidavit submitted by the board in 2016 wanted to protect the rituals and customs of the shrine in connection with the women's entry issue,” he said.
He noted that operations at the temple are running smoothly and that 5.4 million pilgrims had visited the hill shrine during the last annual pilgrimage season. He credited the smooth operation to the coordinated efforts of the government, the TDB, the Pandalam royal family, people’s representatives, and various organisations. “That is our objective. The objective of the upcoming Global Ayyappa Sangamam is also the same: the development of Sabarimala,” Prasanth added.
The TDB president had arrived in Pandalam to invite the royal family members to the Ayyappa Sangamam, an event organised by the TDB in association with the state government, scheduled for September 20.
In 2018, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on women of menstruating age entering the Sabarimala temple, ruling the restriction "unconstitutional." The verdict triggered widespread protests and remains under review by a larger bench. The CPI(M) and the LDF government had faced severe criticism from a section of Ayyappa devotees, the Congress-led alliance, and the Sangh Parivar for facilitating the entry of two women of menstruating age into the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.
Also read: 'Closed chapter’, CPI(M) on women’s entry in Sabarimala
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