Kottayam: T K A Nair bats for joint solution
The court verdict should be implemented without disrupting law and order and regardless of the political consequences, he said.
KOTTAYAM: The central and state governments should jointly find a solution to the Sabarimala issues in the wake of the the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups to enter the temple, according to Mr T.K.A. Nair, former principal secretary to the prime minister.
“The situation should not be allowed to deteriorate into a communal issue. It is a place where people of all religious beliefs have a place. The Vavar connection of Sa-barimala temple is reno-wned. So any move to disrupt the peace at Sabari-mala will be thwarted due to the inherent communal harmony associated with the temple," Mr Nair told this newspaper in a telephonic interview.
The court verdict should be implemented without disrupting law and order and regardless of the political consequences, he said.
“Not allowing women aged between 10 and 50 years to the temple is blatant gender discrimination because they cannot undertake the mandatory 41-day vow due to their physiological condition. Women are not allowed to enter the temple after the 1991 court verdict, as per the TDB affidavit in the HC,” he said.
He asked whether all men visiting the temple strictly adhere to the religious vows. “In most cases, they do not undergo the penance. In such a situation, obstructing women from entering the temple is sheer gender discrimination," Mr Nair added.