Thiruvananthapuram, November 15: The Kerala Congress walked out of the all party meeting held on the issue of entry of women of all ages in the Sabarimala Temple and said that the Kerala state government is not really interested in resolving the issue. However, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, talking to the media after the meeting, said that the state government told all the parties that it will have to obey the Supreme Court's order on the issue. CM Vijayan said that "we do respect the sentiments of the devotees but the law of the land is supreme." Sabarimala Women's Entry Verdict: Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Review Pleas on January 22.

The Chief Minister said that he hopes "sense prevails with the BJP and the Congress." He added that the state government is thinking about ways and mechanisms through which it can implement the Supreme Court order. The Chief Minister further elaborated state government's stand explaining "everybody of us have to be ready to implement the order". When asked about the possible protests by the devotees opposing the Supreme Court's decision, the CM said that state government will "deal with those protesting against the entry of women legally."

Earlier, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear review petitions seeking a recall of its September 28 verdict that cancelled all ban on women's entry to the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The apex court however, decided to hear the review petitions in open court on January 22, 2019. There will be no restrictions on the entry of women in Sabarimala temple till then. With the Sabarimala Temple set to open within 24 hours and the all party meeting ending without any conclusions, there is danger of the hill shrine shutting down for the entire duration of the 'Mandalam' pilgrimage season.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 15, 2018 02:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).