Withdraw cases on Ayyappa devotees, says BJP leader

Kochi: Senior BJP leader P P Mukundan on Saturday urged the Kerala government to withdraw cases registered against Ayyappa devotees for participating in the protests last year against the bid to implement Supreme Court's 2018 verdict permitting entry of women in the menstrual age group into Sabarimala temple.

According to him, cases were registered against 55,650 Ayyappa devotees for participating in the protests against the alleged move by the government to violate the age-old custom of the temple. Sabarimala Karma Samithi leaders SJR Kumar and K P Sasikala have been made accused in 1,100 cases, Mukundan said in a statement here.

His statement came two days after the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, with a 3:2 majority, referred Sabarimala temple case to a larger bench of seven judges. Noting that 2,200 people were put behind bars for several days for participating in the protests, Mukundan said they were granted bail on a bond of a total of Rs 3.5 crore. "They are facing cases for participating in protests to protect the custom of Sabarimala temple.

Now the new decision of the Supreme Court has proved they were right. Now, the state government has also gone back its decision to allow women in all age groups in the temple. It is a moral victory for those fought against violation of custom of Sabarimala temple. In this context, the government should withdraw cases related to Sabarimala protests last year," the senior BJP leader said.

The senior BJP leader also hailed Nair Service Society (NSS), an outfit of the forward Nair community, for their fight to protect the faith of the people. The NSS had played a crucial role in the litigation in the Supreme Court on Sabarimala issue. The outfit has vowed to continue the legal battle for protecting the customs at the hill shrine.