Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 17 -- With a nine-member bench of the Supreme Court scheduled to begin hearing petitions for and against the review of the 2018 top court verdict allowing women of all ages entry at the Sabarimala temple on April 7, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in Kerala is expected to spell out its stand on the highly intricate subject ahead of the assembly elections.

In the aftermath of the 2018 landmark order of the Supreme Court permitting women, even of menstruating age, to enter the hill shrine, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's attempts to implement the verdict had resulted in widespread clashes between the faithful and the police, statewide protests, and dozens of cases being filed against agitators. A y...