The Travancore Devaswom Board, which administers the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, moved Supreme Court on Monday seeking more time to implement its September 28 order allowing women of menstruating age to enter the shrine, Bar and Bench reported. The board, in its petition, said it was seeking more time because of lack of basic amenities at the temple.

The shrine opened on Friday evening for the third time after the Supreme Court order. However, no woman between the ages of 10 and 50 has been allowed to enter the temple till now because of massive protests by devotees.

The board had announced on Friday that it would move the petition after activist Trupti Desai and her team were barred by protestors from leaving the Kochi airport. Desai had gone to Kerala with the intention of entering the temple. The board’s President, A Padmakumar, had also said it would inform the top court of problems faced while implementing the order.

At an all-party meeting on Thursday, the state government had decided that it was bound to implement the Supreme Court’s order. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state are among the outfits protesting against the attempts to implement the court order.

Last week, the top court agreed to hear a batch of 49 review petitions against its verdict on January 22. The court clarified that its September order will continue to be in force.

On Monday, Union minster KJ Alphons criticised the state government for turning the Sabarimala temple complex into a “war zone” as fresh protests erupted near the hill shrine, PTI reported. At least 68 people have been taken into preventive custody for allegedly defying prohibitory orders.