Sabarimala case: Kerala government won't file review plea on SC's verdict allowing women's entry

Vijayan further added the state government will ensure protection and facilities for all women who will enter the temple.

The top court was hearing a clutch of petitions that have been challenging the ban on the entry of women, who are aged between 10 to 50 years, in Sabarimala Temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappan. 

The five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, passed the judgement on Sept 28 in favour of women with a 4:1 ratio. The only judge who had dissented, interestingly a woman, was Indu Malhotra.

Several women activists have opposed the ban on the entry of women inside the temple.

Earlier in January this year, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala Temple, had decided to make proof-of-age documents mandatory for female devotees at the shrine.

Following the apex court's verdict, supporters of several Hindu organisations had protested in various cities of the southern state.

Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage centre at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District and is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year.

Ayyappan's temple is situated amidst 18 hills on a hilltop. 

Image: facebook.com/PinarayiVijayan