No urgent hearing of contempt plea against Sabarimala priest: Supreme Court
New Delhi, Jan 3 (IBNS): The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a contempt plea filed against Kerala's Sabarimala temple's priest, who had closed the shrine to perform "purification rituals" after two women had entered the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine a day ago, media reports said.
The top court said the matter will be taken up on Jan 22, when a bench will hear the pleas challenging its own order allowing menstruating women (aged between 10 and 50) to enter Sabarimala temple.
Video footage of the incident, where two women could be seen entering the temple, has gone viral on social media.
The women reportedly reached the temple at around 3:45 am.
According to some media reports, these two women have been identified as activists Bindhu and Kanakadurga.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the two women were accompanied by police.
After the women entered the temple a day ago, several right-wing activists called for a state-wide shutdown on Thursday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which opposes the Supreme Court's judgement allowing menstruating women to enter the shrine, has supported the strike. The Congress too sung in the same tune by announcing it will observe a "black day" on Thursday.
Chandran Unnithan (55), Sabarimala Karma Samithi activist, who was injured in a clash during the protest against women's entry into Sabarimala temple on Wednesday, has died.
What was the Supreme Court's verdict?
On Sept 28, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had lifted the ban on women's entry into the Sabarimala temple declaring the relevant rules as unconstitutional.
Following the top court's verdict, the shrine opened on Oct 18 for the first time allowing menstruating women, belonging to the age group of 10 to 50, to enter the temple.
However, several men and women had protested outside the temple, and tried to prevent the entry of women in the shrine.
For centuries, menstruating women had been banned from entering the temple in devotion to Lord Ayyappa.
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