Sabarimala Temple reopens, Trupti Desai still stuck in airport

However, activist Trupti Desai, who reached Kochi airport to head for Sabarimala temple to break the age old tradition on not allowing women of menstrual age inside, remained stuck at the airport with a large number of protesters sitting outside to prevent her from going to the shrine.

Trupti Desai was planning to enter the temple but protesters assembled in front of the airport and prevented her from leaving the venue.

She reached the airport earlier in the day.

The temple reopened at 5 pm.

It will remain open for two months.

"Police is saying the protesters can enter the airport anytime and attack us. They have requested us to return since protests may break out across the state... Entering the temple is our right but we have not come here to disrupt law and order. Around 6:30 pm my team and I will decide what to do next," the Pune-based activist told NDTV over the phone from the airport.

In a major move, the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to review in open court its own order that had ended Sabarimala temple's ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. 

The court will now hear several petitions that have challenged the order, reports said.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Sept 28 had lifted the ban on women's entry into the Sabarimala temple declaring the relevant rules as unconstitutional. 

Following the top court's verdict, the shrine opened on Oct 18 for the first time allowing menstruating women, belonging to the age group of 10 to 50, to enter the temple.

However, several men and women had protested outside the temple, and tried to prevent the entry of women in the shrine. The temple was closed after five-day puja.

Menstruating women were earlier banned from entering the temple for centuries as a part of the religious practice.

Two women- an activist and a journalist- had attempted to enter the Temple.

However, they returned without entering the shrine.

The two women turned back after the priest threatened to shut the temple if they don't go back.

Protests had rocked the state in recent times over the verdict with demonstrators not supporting the order of allowing women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the temple.

The temple again reopened for Sree Chithira Attathirunal pooja recently. No violence was reported that time.