ReinaSligo4 at 18:59, 19 February 2026

2026-02-19T18:59:40Z

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{{Short description|Indian lawyer and activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
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| occupation = Lawyer, Lecturer, Activist
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| spouse = K.V. Hariharan
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| education = [[Government Law College, Ernakulam]] (LL.B.)
| alma_mater = [[University of Kerala]], [[Kariavattom]] (LL.M.) 
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| workplaces = [[Government Law College, Kozhikode]]
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'''Bindu Ammini''' is an Indian lawyer and lecturer at [[Government Law College, Kozhikode]], and a [[Dalit]] activist.<ref name="Sharma 2022">{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Ashutosh |title=First Woman To Enter Sabarimala, Dalit Activist Bindu Ammini Continues To Brave Social Backlash |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/dalit-activist-bindu-ammini-continues-to-brave-social-backlash/408902 |access-date=22 January 2022 |work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |date=January 9, 2022}}</ref> She is one of the two first women between the age of 10 and 50 to enter the [[Sabarimala Temple]] after a [[Supreme Court of India]] decision allowed women of reproductive age to [[Entry of women to Sabarimala|enter the temple]].

==Early life and education==
Ammini is a [[Dalit]] who was raised in [[Pathanamthitta]], [[Kerala]].<ref name = personal>{{cite news |last1=Meethal |first1=Amiya |title=Bindu Ammini, husband were with CPI (ML) earlier |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/030119/bindu-ammini-husband-were-with-cpi-ml-earlier.html |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=Deccan Chronicle |date=3 January 2019 |ref=personal |language=en}}</ref><ref name="time" /> She is the youngest of five siblings.<ref name="time" /> After her mother left her father, Ammini and her siblings were raised in poverty by their mother, who was illiterate and worked at farms, factories, and hotels.<ref name="time" /><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" />

In 2001, Ammini became the first in her family to attend college.<ref name="time" /><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" /> As a student, she was a leader in [[Kerala Vidyarthi Sanghatana]], the student wing of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist)]] (CPI [ML]),<ref name="nminute"/><ref name = personal/> and became the youngest female state coordinator for CPI (ML).<ref name="time"/> According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', "she clarifies that the party she was in is state-recognized and that she has never believed in armed rebellion", and she quit the party in 2011.<ref name="time" />{{refn|group=note|name=first|In 2019, CPI (ML) politburo member PJ James said Bindu had not been connected to the party for ten years.<ref name="nminute"/>}}

She attended Netaji Higher Secondary School in [[Pramadom]], [[Pathanamthitta district|Pathanamthitta]], and did her [[pre-degree course]] at [[Catholicate College Pathanamthitta]]. She earned a [[Bachelor of Laws]] (LL.B.) from [[Government Law College, Ernakulam]] and a [[Master of Laws]] (LL.M.) from [[University of Kerala]], [[Kariavattom]] Campus, [[Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref name="nminute"/><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" />

==Career==
Ammini has worked as a lawyer in the [[Koyilandy]] court, and has taught at [[University of Calicut|Calicut University]] and the School of Legal Studies at the [[Thalassery]] campus of [[Kannur University]].<ref name = personal/><ref name="nminute">{{cite news |title=A lawyer and a govt employee: Meet Bindu and Kanakadurga, who entered Sabarimala |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/lawyer-and-govt-employee-meet-bindu-and-kanakadurga-who-entered-sabarimala-94382 |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=The News Minute |date=2 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" /> She also runs a grocery store with her husband.<ref name="time">{{cite magazine |title=They Entered a Forbidden Hindu Temple in the Name of Women's Rights. Now They're in Hiding |url=https://time.com/longform/bindu-kanakadurga-women-hinduism-india/ |access-date=26 February 2021 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-date=14 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114053105/https://time.com/longform/bindu-kanakadurga-women-hinduism-india/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> She is a lecturer at [[Government Law College, Kozhikode|Government Law College]] in [[Kozhikode]].<ref name="Sharma 2022" />

Ammini is a Kerala state leader for the [[Bhim Army]], a [[Dalit]] rights organization.<ref name="Henry 2021">{{cite news |last1=Henry |first1=Nikhila |title=Congress Using Sabarimala to Win Kerala: 1st Woman to Enter Temple |url=https://www.thequint.com/news/india/first-woman-to-enter-sabarimala-slams-congress-draft-bill#read-more |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=The Quint |date=12 February 2021}}</ref> She ascribes to [[Subaltern (postcolonialism)|subaltern]] feminism, which has a focus on the rights of women in oppressed classes.<ref name="time"/> In 2022, after she faced ongoing violence and [[cyberbullying]] following her entry into the [[Sabarimala Temple]],<ref name="Sharma 2022" /> she spoke about the [[caste]]ist nature of the abuse targeted at her, stating, "The 'absolutely unprotected' is not just me, it is the women, Dalits and [[Adivasi]]s" and "If you ask why I'm being targeted among all these women, caste is a factor", referring to other women who had attempted to enter the temple, such as [[Rehana Fathima]].<ref name="Bhavani 2022">{{cite news |last1=Bhavani |first1=Mrudula |title=There is an absence of unified resistance movements in Kerala: Bindu Ammini to TNM |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/there-absence-unified-resistance-movements-kerala-bindu-ammini-tnm-160067 |access-date=22 January 2022 |work=[[The News Minute]] |date=January 20, 2022}}</ref>

After Ammini was publicly assaulted in January 2022, she stated, "I am not safe here anymore, the only option is to leave the country and seek asylum."<ref name="TNM 2022">{{cite news |title=Bindhu Ammini, who entered Sabarimala, assaulted in public. It's not the first time |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bindhu-ammini-who-entered-sabarimala-assaulted-public-its-not-first-time-159552 |access-date=22 January 2022 |work=[[The News Minute]] |date=January 6, 2022}}</ref> Her legal advocate Prashant Padmanabhan has served a notice on the Kerala government, alleging a violation of the January 2019 Supreme Court order that requires the government to provide security for Ammini and Kanakadurga,<ref>{{cite news |title=Dalit woman who entered Sabarimala temple serves legal notice on Kerala Government for failing to protect her |url=https://www.theleaflet.in/dalit-woman-who-entered-sabarimala-temple-serves-legal-notice-on-kerala-government-for-failing-to-protect-her/ |access-date=22 January 2022 |work=The Leaflet |date=January 11, 2022}}</ref> and Ammini has alleged her Dalit identity is related to the failure of police to provide her protection.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Oommen |first1=Rickson |title=Kerala dalit social activist Bindu Ammini attacked, culprit arrested |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-dalit-social-activist-bindu-ammini-attacked-culprit-identified-1896664-2022-01-06 |access-date=22 January 2022 |work=[[India Today]] |date=January 6, 2022}}</ref>

==Sabarimala entry==
After the Supreme Court decision allowing the [[Entry of women to Sabarimala|entry of women]] between the ages of 10 and 50 into the Sabarimala Temple,<ref name="Schultz Feb2019" /> Ammini joined social media groups created by activists.<ref name="time" /> She met Kanakadurga on the Facebook page for Navothana Keralam Sabarimalayilekku (Renaissance Kerala), which was organized for women who wanted to visit the temple.<ref name="nminute" /><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" /> Ammini has said she believes the protest against women entering the temple is politically motivated,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Delhi |first1=India Today Web Desk New |title=Tale of Bindu and Kankadurga: 2 women who braved odds and entered Sabarimala temple |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/who-are-bindu-ammini-and-kankadurga-sabarimala-1422689-2019-01-03 |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=India Today |language=en}}</ref> and, "We were not trying to start trouble", and "Our goal was only to visit the temple. For the next generation of women, this is motivation."<ref name="Schultz Jan2019">{{cite news |last1=Schultz |first1=Kai |title=Her Visit to a Men-Only Temple Went Smoothly. Then the Riots Started. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/world/asia/temple-india-sabarimala-ammini.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=18 January 2019}}</ref>

===First attempt===
On 22 December 2018, Ammini, Kanakadurga, and two other women, met in [[Thrissur]] and then attempted to go to Sabarimala.<ref name="time" /> The other two women quit during the trip, and on 24 December, Ammini and Kanakadurga were stopped by protesters.<ref name="time" /><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" /> They then went on a [[hunger strike]] to protest the lack of police protection.<ref name="time" /><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" />

===Second attempt===
Ammini and Kanakadurga entered the Sabarimala temple around 3:45 am on 2 January 2019.<ref name=entry>{{cite news |title=2 Women Below 50 Enter Sabarimala, Temple Reopens After "Purification" |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/two-women-below-50-enter-keralas-sabarimala-temple-police-sources-1971204 |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=NDTV.com}}</ref> They wore black clothes and hurried inside, escorted by the police.<ref name=entry/> Videos of their temple entry were circulated in social media in India with messages of support and opposition.<ref name = france>{{cite news |title=Videos show women entering Indian temple after centuries-old ban |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/20190102-videos-women-sabarimala-hindu-temple-india |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=The Observers - France 24 |date=2 January 2019 |ref=france |language=en}}</ref> Their temple entry was confirmed by the chief minister of Kerala, [[Pinarayi Vijayan]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saberin |first1=Zeenat |title=Indian women defy Hindu temple ban amid protests |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/1/2/two-indian-women-enter-sabarimala-temple-in-kerala-amid-protests |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref> After they entered, the priests closed the temple for a purification ceremony.<ref name="time" /><ref name="BBC 2019" />

Ammini was placed under police protection after the entry to Sabarimala<ref name="Schultz/Venkataraman 2019">{{cite news |last1=Schultz |first1=Kai |last2=Venkataraman |first2=Ayesha |title=2 Indian Women Enter Sabarimala Temple, Setting Off Protests Near Hindu Shrine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/world/asia/india-women-wall-sabarimala.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2 January 2019}}</ref><ref name = france/> and went into hiding after the entry.<ref>{{cite news |title='Sabarimala case will become like Ayodhya': Bindu Ammini who entered temple reacts |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sabarimala-case-will-become-ayodhya-bindu-ammini-who-entered-temple-reacts-112291 |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=The News Minute |date=14 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Indian Woman Who Entered Forbidden Temple Says Her Family Assaulted When She Returned Home |url=https://time.com/5513055/kanakadurga-sabarimala-hindu-temple-family-abandon/ |access-date=26 February 2021 |magazine=Time |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126101415/https://time.com/5513055/kanakadurga-sabarimala-hindu-temple-family-abandon/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Her house was mobbed by people belonging to Sabarimala Karma Samiti, and other organizations which opposed her entry to Sabarimala.<ref name = personal/> In February 2019, she said she was still receiving death threats.<ref name="Schultz Feb2019">{{cite news |last1=Schultz |first1=Kai |title=Let Women Enter Hindu Temple, Indian Religious Board Says, in Reversal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/asia/women-temple-hindu-india.html |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=6 February 2019}}</ref>

Some members of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] called their entry a "black day".<ref name="Schultz/Venkataraman 2019" /> The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, a supporter of the Supreme Court decision, said the entry into the temple by Ammini and Kankadurga was a historic moment.<ref name="BBC 2019">{{cite news |title=Sabarimala: Indian women make history by entering temple |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46733750 |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=BBC News |date=2 January 2019}}</ref> Senior lawyer [[Indira Jaising]] compared their entry to the temple entry movement led by [[B. R. Ambedkar]], and represented Ammini and Kanakadurga in legal actions to obtain police protection.<ref name="Sharma 2022" />

===Third attempt===
In November 2019, the Supreme Court kept its 2018 decision in place, but set the case for review by a larger bench.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vishwanath |first1=Apurva |title=Sabarimala majority ruling: Review pending, scope widened |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/simply-put-review-pending-scope-widened-in-sabarimala-verdict-6120277/ |access-date=29 March 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=15 November 2019}}</ref> The Kerala government then withdrew its support and police protection for women entering the temple, pending the decision of the Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Philip |first1=Shaju |title=Kerala govt's flip-flop on Sabarimala: Won't take young women to shrine |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala-govts-flip-flop-on-sabarimala-wont-take-young-women-to-shrine-6122147/ |access-date=29 March 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="IE Nov2019">{{cite news |last1=Web Desk |title=Bindu Ammini, who prayed at Sabarimala last year, attacked with chilli spray before fresh attempt |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sabarimala-protests-live-updates-bindu-ammini-trupti-desai-6137095/ |access-date=29 March 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=26 November 2019}}</ref> After this announcement, Ammini and other activists, including [[Trupti Desai]], went to the [[Ernakulam]] City Commissioner's office in late November to seek police protection for another attempt to visit the shrine.<ref name="IE Nov2019" /><ref name="LiveLaw2021"/>

Ammini was attacked by chili/[[pepper spray]] outside of the commissioner's office, and was hospitalized.<ref name="Poruthiyil 2019">{{cite news |last1=Poruthiyil |first1=Prabhir Vishnu |title=The Spectre Haunting Hindutva: An Assertive Dalit Woman |url=https://thewire.in/women/bindu-ammini-sabarimala-attack |access-date=22 January 2022 |work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] |date=November 30, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bindu Ammini, First Woman To Enter Sabarimala In 2018, Attacked With Chilli Powder |url=https://www.huffpost.com/archive/in/entry/bindu-ammini-sabarimala-trupti-desai_in_5ddc9b28e4b00149f722a14f |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=HuffPost |date=26 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bindu Ammini, who prayed at Sabarimala last year, attacked with chilli spray before fresh attempt |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sabarimala-protests-live-updates-bindu-ammini-trupti-desai-6137095/ |website=The Indian Express |access-date=26 February 2021 |language=en |date=26 November 2019}}</ref> Afterwards, Prabhir Vishnu Poruthiyil described Ammini as the "[[Rosa Parks]] of our time", and wrote, "She has shown us the tenacity of patriarchy and has exposed the casteism lurking behind the facade of tradition."<ref name="Poruthiyil 2019"/>

The [[National Commission for Women]] asked the Kerala [[director general of police]] to send an action report regarding the incident.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Press Trust of India |title=NCW asks Kerala DGP to send report on chilli powder attack on woman activist |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ncw-asks-kerala-dgp-to-send-report-on-chilli-powder-attack-on-woman-activist-119112701350_1.html |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=Business Standard India |date=27 November 2019}}</ref> In December 2019, the Supreme Court declined to grant protection orders for the Sabarimala visit.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chaudhary |first1=Nilashish |title='We Know Law Is In Your Favour And There Is No Stay; But We Are Not Passing Any Orders': SC To Women Seeking Protection For Sabarimala Visit |url=https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/sc-refuses-to-pass-protection-orders-for-women-seeking-sabarimala-temple-entry-150769 |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=LiveLaw.in |date=12 December 2019}}</ref> On 24 February 2021, the Kerala High Court granted pre-arrest bail to two people alleged to be connected with the group that sprayed Ammini when she went to the Ernakulam City Commissioner's office in 2019.<ref name=LiveLaw2021>{{cite news |title=Kerala High Court Grants Pre-Arrest Bail To 2 Men Accused Of Attacking Sabarimala Activist; Finds Allegations Prima Facie Mala Fide |url=https://livelaw.in/news-updates/kerala-high-court-bail-men-accused-of-attacking-sabarimala-activist-bindu-ammini-170750 |access-date=28 March 2021 |work=LiveLaw.in |date=5 March 2021}}</ref>

==Personal life==
When she was 18, Ammini met her husband, K.V. Hariharan, while active in student politics and they settled in Poyilkavu after their marriage.<ref name = personal/><ref name="time" /> She has a daughter, Olga, named after [[Olga Benário Prestes]] who was killed in [[the Holocaust]].<ref name="time"/><ref name="Schultz Jan2019" />

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
* [[Entry of women to Sabarimala]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammini, Bindu}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Women educators from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women lawyers]]

Bindu Ammini - Revision history

ReinaSligo4 at 18:59, 19 February 2026