SC dismisses plea for urgent hearing of Sabarimala verdict review petitions; CJI says Justice Indu Malhotra 'on leave'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed urgent hearing of pleas seeking review of the judgment allowing women of all ages to enter Lord Ayappa shrine in Kerala’s Sabarimala. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the review petitions would not be heard in January as one of the judges, Justice Indu Malhotra, is on leave. Reportedly, over 50 review petitions have been filed against the earlier decision of the apex court given on 28 September, 2018, which lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years into the premises of Sabarimala. Following the decision of the top court, Sabarimala Temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests challenging the verdict. As many as 3,505 protesters have been arrested so far in connection with the violence that broke out in the state, while around 529 cases have been registered across the state. In November, 2018, BJP’s Kerala unit general secretary K Surendran called the apex court’s decision to hear the merits of the review petitions in an open court a victory for the protesters. Nearly four months after the apex court’s verdict, two women, Bindu and Kanaka Durga, both aged below 50, entered the Lord Ayyappa temple to offer prayers on 2 January.