Taking a U-turn, Kelera government on Monday admitted that only 2 women and not 51, between the ages of 10-50 entered Sabarimala temple after the Supreme Court’s verdict.
In December 2018, the government submitted in the Supreme Court a list of 51 women between 10-50 ages who had supposedly entered the temple.
Kadakampally Surendran, Devaswom Minister, informed the Kerala assembly that only two women of reproductive age had offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa shrine, quoting a report of the temple executive officer.
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Surendran was replying to a question by opposition Congress legislators on how many women in the age group of 10-50 years had offered prayers at the temple after the September 28 apex court verdict.
The controversy arose when the list that was submitted to apex court contained names of a man and several women above the age of 50.
Two women, Bindu (42) and Kanaka Durga (44), in their mid-40s claimed that they managed to enter the Sabarimala temple on January 2.
Two women devotees Bindu and Kanakdurga entered & offered prayers at Kerala’s #SabarimalaTemple at 3.45am today: ANI pic.twitter.com/94ByC4mZc4
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) January 2, 2019
In a video clip, the women could be seen moving around inside the temple premises. It is suggested that they that they managed to make it inside the shrine of the Lord Ayyappa’s temple through the staff gate at around 3:45 am. The temple was later shut for purification rituals.