The Supreme Court of India on Friday allowed women of all ages to enter into Kerala’s renowned Sabarimala temple. The Court today lifted the ban on the entry of women ageing between 10 to 50 years.
Earlier, women of menstrual age were not allowed to enter into Sabarimala temple as its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa is considered to be a celibate. The Court stated that “this biological reasons should not be considered for the constitution of an old age tradition.”
A five-justice constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had reserved its judgement on a bunch of petitions that challenged the ban on entry of women on August 1 after hearing the case for eight days.
The Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra ruled out saying, “Women of all ages must be allowed in Kerala’s renowned Sabarimala temple, Lord Ayappa is not a separate denomination.” he further said, “Religion is for one dignity with identity.”
Reading out a historic judgment over Sabarimala temple, Dipak Misra pointed out that women have been historically discriminated. He said that women have always fought for their rights.
The Court, in its August 1 observation, laid down that The presiding deity of Kerala’s Lord Ayyappa is a perpetual minor and has rights including the right to privacy with regard to certain rites observed at the shrine.
During the Sabarimala temple hearing, the Travancore Devaswom Board which has been running the over 800-year-old Lord Ayyappa temple had reportedly told the court that the ban is not anti-women and it is willing to accept the order. But the top court underlined that the all customary or religious practices such as a ban on entry of women had to conform to constitutional principles.
The Kerala government, which seems to have changed its stand on the Sabarimala temple, had earlier told the Supreme Court in July that it favoured the entry of women.