Sabarimala : Days after the Supreme Court referred the Sabarimala temple case to a larger bench, the Lord Ayyappa shrine is all set to reopen today for pilgrimage season, even as the government said women who want to visit the hill temple should get a “court order”. The top court has decided to set up a larger bench to re-examine religious issues, including those arising out of its earlier verdict that lifted a centuries-old ban on women of menstruating age visiting the shrine.

With the two-month long annual pilgrimage season set to commence from November 17, Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran said Sabarimala was not a place for activism and the LDF government would not support those who make announcements about entering the hill shrine for the sake of publicity.

* Surendran has dismissing reports that police would provide security to women activists who attempt to enter the shrine.

* The minister said there was “some confusion” over the latest Supreme Court order and that women desirous of visiting Sabarimala should get a “court order”. Government would not encourage those women who want to visit the shrine for publicity, he added.

* Law minister AK Balan says the government will approach competent legal experts on the “confusions” prevailing in the apex court’s judgment.

* “This Sabarimala season will be peaceful. But if anyone tries to hamper the peaceful darshan of devotees, the government will take strong action. If someone thinks that they can exploit the devotees by spreading lies and turn them against the government, let me tell you, it’s not going to happen,” Balan said.

* Tight security will be provided during the pilgrimage season with over 10,000 police personnel being posted in phases in and around the hill temple. Pathanamthitta district collector told the media that there was no need for declaring prohibitory orders like last year.

* Unlike last year, when the shrine and the adjacent areas were recuperating from the August deluge that had hit the state, the Devaswom Board this year has made extensive arrangements to receive devotees.

* The Board, which manages the temples in the state, said resting places for the devotees at Nilackal, Pamba and Sannidhanam areas has already been set up along with medical, water and toilet facilities. The board has also set up five emergency medical centres.

* Meanwhile, the Congress-led United Democratic Front demanded withdrawal of the state government’s affidavit in the Supreme Court which it said was filed in favour of women’s entry into the shrine.

* In another development, N Vasu took charge as the Travancore Devaswom Board president on Friday and said more clarity would have been there if the court had said its 2018 order was stayed. He said it was some anti-social elements and goons who tried to destroy the peace of Sabarimala.

* The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has decided to deploy 150 buses to transport devotees between Pamba and Nilackal, a distance of around 18 km. The KSRTC has also arranged special services from almost all parts of the state to Pamba and Nilackal.

The five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Thursday said a larger bench will re-examine various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple and mosques and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

The annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala commences on the first day of the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam which falls on November 17 and ends on December 27.

The temple tantri (head priest), Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru and melshanti (chief priest) AK Sudheer Namboodiri will open the temple on November 16 evening at 5 pm. The new priests will take charge on November 16.