State Law Minister P. Rajeev said the government is committed to protecting the faith of believers but did not specify whether it would file a fresh affidavit or maintain its earlier stand in the apex court.
Photo: X/@PRajeevOfficial
Even as the Supreme Court of India on Monday fixed the schedule for hearing review petitions on its 2018 verdict allowing women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala Temple, the Left Front government in Kerala did not clarify its position on the contentious issue.
State Law Minister P. Rajeev said the government is committed to protecting the faith of believers but did not specify whether it would file a fresh affidavit or maintain its earlier stand in the apex court.
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Addressing a press conference here, Rajeev said the Sabarimala women’s entry issue involves several constitutional complexities and the government would adopt an appropriate position after detailed discussions.
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“This is not an issue that can be resolved in a minute. Several constitutional complications are involved,” he said.
He added that the government still has time to inform the Supreme Court of its stand and that the matter cannot be reduced to a simple yes-or-no decision. “The government will announce its position after considering all aspects,” he said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan on Monday again urged the state government to end what he termed its evasive approach on the issue.
He demanded that the government file a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court withdrawing its earlier affidavit, which had supported the entry of young women into the temple.
Satheesan alleged that the government had invited several organisations to the Global Ayyappa Sangamam after indicating that it would revise its stand on the issue.
“If the affidavit already filed in the Supreme Court is not corrected, the hypocrisy of the government will be exposed. The government is playing a hide-and-seek game on this issue,” he said.
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