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Former Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and ex-Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai has revealed that the decision to close the shrine and conduct purification rituals at Sabarimala in 2018 to prevent women's entry was taken based on his advice.
The disclosure appeared in his new book titled "Sabarimala Samaravum Suvarna Avasara Vidhiyum". According to the book, the temple Tantri, Kandararu Rajeevaru, decided to close the shrine after receiving assurances from Sreedharan Pillai. He states that he was asked to contact the Tantri when activist Rehana Fathima approached the Sannidhanam under police protection. Sreedharan Pillai stated that a prominent Hindu community leader requested him to provide legal guidance to the Tantri and to clarify that closing the shrine and conducting purification rituals would not amount to contempt of court. He added that he assured the Tantri that the Supreme Court verdict did not specifically bar closing the temple in such a situation, and therefore, it would not invite contempt proceedings. He further wrote that he conveyed readiness to face arrest along with lakhs of devotees if legal consequences followed. With this assurance, the Tantri gained confidence and decided to close the shrine and perform purification rituals when Rehana Fathima reached near the temple premises, the book claims. Sreedharan Pillai described the episode as a "golden opportunity" given to him to carry out the will of Lord Ayyappa, and asserts that his interventions both as BJP state president and as a lawyer were decisive during the developments at Sabarimala in 2018. (ANI)
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