Women can’t be denied entry into Sabarimala: SC

The apex court also asked “Can entry of women be regulated on basis of any criteria other than that of religion?” and asked the Kerala government to submit an affidavit in the case. It has also directed the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the Sabarimala temple, to make its stance clear on the issue. 

The SC made this observation while hearing a ten-year old petition filed by the Indian Young Lawyers Association. The Supreme Court is poised to decide on this issue later. It may be noted that in an earlier decision, the Kerala High Court had upheld the ban on women entering temple. It had held that the restriction was in accordance with the ‘customs and usage’, and did not violate any fundamental right. Women lawyers had contended then that discrimination in matters of entry into temples was neither a ritual nor ceremony associated with Hindu Religion.