30 women likely to attempt entry into Sabarimala on Dec 23

A group of 30 women aged between 10 and 50 years has sought permission from the Kerala chief minister to visit Sabarimala temple on December 23.

The women delegation said they had sent a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking permission and security while visiting the temple, and have been told that their request has been forwarded to concerned police personnel.

These women are devotees of Lord Ayyappa and supporters of the Supreme Court's verdict, which allowed women of menstruating age to enter the temple, stating that equality is supreme irrespective of age and gender.

These women, belonging to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal, have been observing fasts and rituals for darshan of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.

Since the apex court's judgement was passed on September 28, no woman of the previously-forbidden age group has been able to enter the temple owing to widespread protests.