Pathanamthitta District Collector on Tuesday night extended the prohibitory orders in Sabarimala, Nilackal, Pamba areas for four more days.
Collector P B Nooh, after considering reports filed by the police commissioner and other officials, extended the prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), banning assembly of four or more persons.
“Prohibitory orders have been extended till December 8 after considering various reports filed by officials,” Collector Nooh told PTI.
Prohibitory orders were in place till Tuesday night at Sabarimala and surrounding areas since the day the hilltop shrine was opened for the annual two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilkku pilgrimage season, which began on November 17.
There have been protests against the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing entry of women of menstrual age into the hilltop shrine.
For the first time since the Sabarimala temple opened on November 16, there has now been a sharp increase in the number of pilgrims.
One reason attributed for this is that the protests of the Sangh parivar against the Supreme Court ruling and the arrest of its senior leader K. Surendran has shifted to the state Secretariat.
The Congress-led UDF is going hammer and tongs against the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the Kerala Assembly.
According to official figures, on Monday a record 79,098 pilgrims arrived at the temple while till 1 p.m. on Tuesday 40,000 pilgrims has made it to the hilltop shrine.
Yet, the pilgrim flow is much less than what the temple town normally sees during the festival season.
In the previous season, the average number of pilgrims visiting the shrine was around one lakh during the two-month pilgrimage season.
The Kerala government has promised to implement the apex court’s verdict that struck down a hitherto tradition of not allowing girls and women within 10-50 years from visiting the temple.
(With agency inputs)