Sabarimala Temple reopens for annual pilgrimage season

The incident took place two days after the Supreme Court referred a review petition on it own 2018 judgement, which allowed the entry of menstruating women into the shrine to worship Lord Ayyappa, to a larger bench.

The temple will open at 5 pm for the 41-day annual pilgrimage season.

However, the Left government in Kerala on Friday claimed it would not take any responsibility of the activists taking up pilgrimage and will not provide police protection to them, in a much different stance which it had taken last year in ensuring women's entry into the temple.

"This is not a place for activism. This is not a place for activists like Trupti Desai to show their strength. We won't take them in. Let them go get a court order," Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran told media.

"The earlier situation was different, when there was a strong Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter. That is not the situation now, given that the case is being heard by a larger bench," Surendran said. 

As per the traditional practice, menstruating women (women of ages 10-50) are not allowed to enter into the temple where Lord Ayyappa is worshiped.

On Thursday, the top court referred the review petition to a seven-judge bench not putting a stay on its 2018 verdict right now.