India lifts ban on entry of women into Sabarimala

new delhi — India’s top court on Friday revoked a ban on women entering a famous Hindu temple following a decades-long legal battle.

The Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala — the subject of Friday’s ruling and considered one of the holiest for Hindus — has traditionally barred all women of menstruating age, between 10 and 50.

Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said banning the entry of a large section of women was discriminatory and violated their rights. —

Just by a verdict, the century old traditions of Sabarimala has been changed and that’s very sad. Every religious place has its own traditions and culture that is practised for its own reasons.

Sasikumar Varma, spokesperson of the Pandalam Royal Family linked to

Sabarimala temple

It opens up the way forward for Hinduism to become even more inclusive and not a property of one caste or one sex.

Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister

We will definitely go ahead with the fight. Until October 16, the Sabarimala temple is closed. So, we have time. Rahul Easwar, president of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena

new delhi — In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Friday lifted a ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala, holding that this centuries-old Hindu religious practice is illegal and unconstitutional.

Women in India have been intensifying campaigns in recent years to be allowed to enter Hindu temples and other religious sites.

The Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala — the subject of Friday’s ruling and considered one of the holiest for Hindus — has traditionally barred all women of menstruating age, between 10 and 50.

The temple’s rule emanated from the still widely held belief in India that menstruating women are impure. In rural pockets of the country, many women are still made to sleep and eat separately during menstruation.

The custom in the temple in the southern state of Kerala was challenged by a clutch of petitioners who argued that women cannot be denied the constitutional right to worship.

The Chief Justice Dipak Misraheaded Constitution bench in a 4-1 verdict held that the existing ban is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. “Restrictions put by Sabarimala temple can’t be held as essential religious practice,” said Justice Misra, adding religion is a way of life basically to link life with divinity.

While Justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud concurred with the CJI and Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice Indu Malhotra gave a dissenting verdict.

Justice Malhotra was of the view that it is not for courts to determine which religious practices are to be struck down except in issues of social evil like ‘Sati’. The case made headlines last month when a regional

newspaper editor blamed devastating floods in Kerala on women wanting to enter Sabarimala.

Millions of devotees visit the temple every year to seek the blessings of deity Ayyappa, the presiding deity who is believed to be celibate.

The hill top shrine remains open only for a little over four months in a year and the approach is through a forested area that involves an arduous 5-km trek from the Pampa river base camp.

According to the temple website, pilgrims have to observe celibacy

for 41 days before entering the shrine. Describing the verdict as “unfortunate”, Rahul Easwar, the president of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena, said the organisation would file a review petition against the judgement.

Easwar, grandson of a former Sabarimala priest the late Kandararu Maheswararu, said, “We will definitely go ahead with the fight. Until October 16, the Sabarimala temple is closed. So, we have time.”

Kerala Religious Trusts Minister Kadakampally Surendran described the verdict as “historic”, while the shrine’s head priest Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru said though the verdict was “disappointing”, the management accepted it. Kerala’s Left Front government had favoured the entry of women of all age groups into the temple.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which administers the hill shrine of deity Ayyappa, said it was bound to implement the judgement.

Friday’s verdict was welcomed by India’s Women and Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi and other prominent women’s rights activists. —