The Nair Service Society (NSS) has decided to move the Supreme Court with a review petition against the verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages to worship at the Sabarimala temple.
NSS general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair said on Thursday that the decision of the State government and the Travancore Devaswom Board not to oppose the judgment was disappointing. In a press note, he said the NSS, which had impleaded itself in the case right from the beginning, would now challenge the verdict in the apex court.
“The State government may have taken the position as a matter of policy. But how can an independent institution like the TDB which is bound to protect the traditions and rituals of over 1,200 temples including Sabarimala adopt such a stand,” he asked.
Pointing out that the administration of the temples and the board was funded by the offerings from devotees, he wondered why the government was so enthusiastic in implementing the Supreme Court verdict.
No other option
The government, he said, had left devotees with no other option but to do whatever was necessary to protect their interests.
“As an organisation that upholds secularism and religious beliefs, the NSS expects the government and TDB to resolve the issue in a more mature manner,” he added.