Nilakkal, October 23: The Supreme Court will on Tuesday decide on the hearing of review petitions filed against the verdict on women's entry into the Sabarimala Temple. Around 19 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking review on its order allowing women of all ages to enter the Ayyappa shrine temple. The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Monday said that they will hear the Sabarimala case today and decide whether the petitions seeking review will be listed for hearing or not. This comes days after the Supreme Court delivered its historic verdict on September 28 allowing women of all ages to enter the holy Ayyappa shrine. However, the doors of Sabarimala Temple closed on Monday night, with no woman between the age of 10 and 50 years having managed to enter the sanctum sanctorum amid violent protests in Kerala.

This was the first time that the gates of the sanctum sanctorum were opened after the apex court's verdict, but after the huge protest by devotees, the women between 10 and 50 years of age were forced to return. The protestors denying entry to the women cited it as the 'age-old tradition' which the court termed as 'discrimination against women'. Why These 5 Arguments in Favour of Restricting Women’s Entry Into the Ayyappa Temple Are Baseless.

During these six days, more than a dozen women tried to enter the shrine but were blocked by protestors. Earlier last week, Hyderabad Journalist Kavitha Jakkal and activist Rehana Fathima managed to go to Valiya Nadappandhal, which is located just a few metres away from the holy shrine but had to stop after the head priest warned them that he will stop all the rituals and close the doors of the temple. Dalit Activist Makes Failed Bid to Reach Shrine on Last Day of Pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the board which manages all the functions of Sabarimala temple, will meet today to discuss how to implement the Supreme court verdict while protecting the interest of devotees.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2018 10:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).