Kottayam

Kerala Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan on Saturday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2018 Supreme Court verdict permitting women’s entry into the Sabarimala Temple and said the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s current stand remains the same as the affidavit it filed before the Supreme Court of India in 2007.

He was responding to queries from reporters regarding the affidavit to be filed by the state government before a nine-judge bench of the apex court clarifying its position on the entry of women of menstruating age into the hill shrine.

Vasavan said the 2018 verdict came after women lawyers associated with the BJP approached the Supreme Court.

“We had filed an affidavit in 2007 stating that the issue should be decided by experts in ritualistic matters. We are still maintaining that stand,” he said.

The Supreme Court has not sought the state government’s position specifically on women’s entry at present but has asked for clarification on certain constitutional issues, he added.

“We have assigned the Advocate General and constitutional experts in the Supreme Court to give the reply. They will respond accordingly,” the minister said.

He said if the court seeks the government’s position directly on the matter, it would present its stand, noting that the LDF government had already clarified its position in the 2007 affidavit.

“The party’s (Communist Party of India (Marxist)) stand is the same as the government’s. The government is with the devotees. We have always been with the devotees,” he said.

The minister also criticised the opposition, alleging that they frequently approach courts on various issues and return with adverse rulings.

“They go to court on several matters and come back with adverse responses. Has there been an opposition in Kerala that has faced so many setbacks from courts,” he asked.

Responding to questions about the state government’s actions in 2018 following the verdict allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala, Vasavan said no such interpretation should be made since the government had already clarified its stand in the 2007 affidavit.

“If the Supreme Court gives any verdict, can we say anything against it? The women’s entry was the decision of the apex court of the country,” he said.

The minister reiterated that the 2018 ruling came after women lawyers linked to the BJP approached the court.

“They are now hiding. Actually they were standing for it. But here they are taking a different stand,” he alleged.

He further claimed that attempts to facilitate women’s entry in 2018 were also made by BJP activists.

“It was BJP’s young lawyers who filed the case and received the verdict. They then called it a historic judgement. But after some stage, they changed their position,” he said.

Vasavan denied allegations that the state government had taken special interest in facilitating the entry of women of menstruating age into Sabarimala in 2018.

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The Supreme Court in 2018 allowed women of menstruating age to enter the temple, triggering widespread protests across Kerala. The apex court is currently hearing appeals against the earlier verdict.