Ministers skip meeting on Sabarimala called by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

The meeting, which was to be inaugurated by the chief minister was later opened by Kerala’s Devasom Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

india Updated: Nov 01, 2018 00:08 IST
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry on Wednesday sent officials instead of ministers for a meeting called by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss arrangements for the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season starting next month. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry on Wednesday sent officials instead of ministers for a meeting called by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss arrangements for the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season starting next month.

The meeting, which was to be inaugurated by the chief minister was later opened by Kerala’s Devasom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. Surendran said ministers were unable to attend the meet as they were preoccupied with political engagements and government affairs.

“They have informed us about their inconvenience due to various reasons, it has nothing to do with the verdict. We will go ahead with preparations to ensure a smooth three-month pilgrimage season starting November 18,” the Devasom minister said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hold an early hearing on a batch of review petitions challenging the entry of women in the age group of 10 to 50 years in Kerala’s Sabarimala.

A three judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, said the matter was fixed for hearing on November 13 — four days ahead of pilgrimage season.

First Published: Oct 31, 2018 23:34 IST