Minister rules out Sabarimala bill
President P.S. Sreedharan Pillai said the law minister could not say anything that attracts contempt of court.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Union government has no plan for bringing immediate legislation restricting the entry of fertile women to Sabarimala hill shrine, which the Supreme Court had lifted on Sep 28.
Responding to Dr Shashi Tharoor’s query if it was considering or is in the process of drafting any legislation, including an amendment to the Constitution, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad merely said that the matter was sub judice.
Dr Tharoor said, therefore, it was clear that the BJP was not considering any legislative action to “restore the traditions and culture of Sabarimala.”
The state BJP leadership soon resorted to damage control measures. President P.S. Sreedharan Pillai said the law minister could not say anything that attracts contempt of court.
In a Facebook post, general secretary K. Surendran clarified that what Mr Prasad meant was that the central government was awaiting the outcome of the review petition pending before the apex court.