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Given nod for withdrawal of Sabarimala cases: Kerala CM Vijayan
The former chief minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy had recently written a letter to Vijayan asking him to approach the Supreme Court to speed up the Sabarimala verdict.
The Kerala government has granted permission to withdraw cases of non-criminal nature registered during the Sabarimala agitation in the aftermath of the Supreme Court verdict three years ago, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the assembly on Tuesday. He said cases registered during the Citizenship Amendment Act stir in the state in 2019 will also be withdrawn.
Responding to a question raised by opposition leader V D Satheesan, the CM said the state has directed the police chief, district police superintendents and district collectors to examine the nature of cases, after which a special committee will evaluate them and recommend suitable cases for withdrawal.
A final decision would be taken by the concerned courts, Vijayan said, adding the procedure will be expedited. “The government issued the order in this regard in February itself. But the state has limitations on this since it is falling under the purview of the judiciary. We will do everything possible to expedite this,” he said.
Before the assembly elections in April, the government had decided to withdraw 2000-odd cases registered during the 2018-19 Sabarimala agitation, but formalities dragged. The opposition leader sought the attention of the chief minister, saying that many people are forced to frequent courts and it was affecting youngsters badly. Most of the people were booked for just participating in the hymn-chanting sessions during the peak of the stir.
“Though the government announced its decision before the assembly election nothing happened on the ground. Many affected are still struggling with cases,” Satheesan said.
The state had witnessed large-scale violence, and five shutdowns in 2018 after the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to the hilltop temple, annulling an age-old bar on women of reproductive age. For the first time in the history of the state, more than 50,000 people were booked in connection with the agitation. After widespread protests in 2019, the SC referred the case to a nine-member bench and a final verdict is pending.
The former chief minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy had recently written a letter to Vijayan asking him to approach the Supreme Court to speed up the verdict, and withdraw its earlier affidavit that favoured entry of women of all ages. He said the Kerala government’s fresh affidavit in the apex court in 2016 created much confusion, which ultimately led to the five-bench verdict in 2018.
The Nair Service Society, a socio-cultural organization of upper caste Nairs, which took a proactive role during the agitation, had also asked the chief minister to withdraw cases against those who participated in the agitation. Its secretary G Sukumaran Nair had cited the plight of youngsters and the elderly.
But Bindu Ammini, one of only two women who entered Sabarimala three years ago, said she was worried that even some progressive outfits diluted their stance for vote bank politics. The college teacher said she expected a steady stream of women to the temple after her entry, but it never happened.
