Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 30: The Shiv Sena has called off its Kerala bandh (state-wide protest) on October 1 against the Supreme Court's verdict on women's enrty in Sabarimala temple, following an alert of heavy rains by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The apex court had on September 28 lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10-50 years to the forest shrine, holding that the centuries-old Hindu religious practise was illegal and unconstitutional.

Shiv Sena's state secretary MS Bhuvendran cited bad weather prediction as the reason for withdrawing the shutdown call. In a statement, the party said that they were calling off the dawn-to-dusk protest in view of the ‘Yellow alert’ issued in several districts by Kerala State Disaster Management Authority after the IMD warning of rough seas and heavy rains. Sena had called for a state-wide shutdown on Saturday.

In a related development, the Pandalam royal family, which has an integral role in the affairs of the Sabarimala temple, is learnt to have begun legal consultations to file a review petition against the apex court verdict. The Pandalam Palace is the custodian of Sabarimala temple jewels.

In a majority 4:1 judgment, the top court also read down the provision of Kerala laws that protected the prohibition and said it could not be covered under practices essential and integral to religious practice. Justice Indu Malhotra, the only woman judge in the five-judges bench, gave a dissenting judgment.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra reading out the judgment, also on behalf of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, said that subversion of women's rights under the garb of physiological phenomenon cannot be allowed.

Meanwhile, state police chief Loknath Behra said on Saturday that a lot of work has to be done about welcoming women devotees in the upcoming festival season that begins in November. "Special arrangements have to be worked for separate queues for women and all such issues concerning women devotees," said Behra. (With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2018 08:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).