India to reconsider women in temple

NEW DELHI — India’s top court has agreed to re-examine a ruling that lifted a ban on women of menstruating age from entering a Hindu temple after near-constant protests backed by India’s ruling party and the main opposition party.

The Press Trust of India reports that the Supreme Court decided Tuesday to review 49 petitions in open court on Jan. 22.

Since the court ruled against the ban on Sept. 28, busloads of female Hindus have traveled through the dense jungle of the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, India’s southernmost state, to enter the hilltop temple. But Hindu priests and throngs of conservative protesters have blocked them from entering.