New Delhi: The Supreme Court may not hear the review petitions in the Sabarimala women entry issue on January 22, as scheduled earlier. The new date has not been announced yet. The apex court postponed the hearing as Indu Malhotra, the lone woman judge in the five-judge bench that will consider the pleas, has gone on medical leave.

"Justice Indu Malhotra is on leave due to some medical reasons," the bench said.

The bench, which also comprised Justices L Nageswara Rao and S K Kaul, said that the hearing, which is scheduled to start from January 22, may not take place.

It is not known as to when she would rejoin the duty.

Malhotra had dissented to the majority verdict that lifted the ban on the entry of women of 10-50 age group to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa, situated in Sabaraimala in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.

The decision to postpone the hearing was announced by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi while considering another plea relating to the Sabarimala temple. The observation came after lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara mentioned the case and sought live streaming of hearing on the petitions seeking review of the apex court's verdict allowing all women inside Sabarimala temple, on January 22. Forty-nine petitions seeking review of the judgement were taken up for consideration on Tuesday. Except for CJI Gogoi, all the other judges were part of the constitutional bench that favoured entry of women in menstrual age into Sabarimala temple.

The Supreme Court had in November agreed to reconsider its September 28 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple and had set January 22 as the date of hearing the review petitions.

A top court bench comprising CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra decided to hear the review petitions in open court. The top court had, however, refused to stay its earlier verdict.

The apex court verdict on September 28 had sparked off widespread protests in Kerala.