Satheesan doubts rationale behind Sabarimala summit

Kerala's Congress party-led opposition coalition is likely to abstain from the upcoming global summit of Ayyappa devotees, scheduled for later this month, amidst significant political and social confusion surrounding the event.

- Ashraf Padanna

In 2018, the Supreme Court delivered a verdict which permitted all women, including those of menstruating age, to enter the Sabarimala hill shrine, the abode of the Hindu bachelor god Lord Ayyappa.

This ruling ignited fierce protests across Kerala, marked by violent clashes between devotees and police forces, prompting widespread outrage among religious adherents.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) lent its support to the protesting devotees, saying the communist-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government earned the verdict by giving an affidavit in the apex court in its favour.