NEW DELHI: Women of all ages must be allowed in Kerala’s renowned Sabarimala temple, the Supreme Court ordered today, ending ban on the entry of women between 10 and 50 years. “The practice of age restriction on women entry to Sabrimala temple can’t be treated as an essential religious practice,” said the court in a majority four-one judgement.
The only woman judge on the five-judge constitution bench, Justice Indu Malhotra, has a dissenting view.

For centuries, women of menstrual age were restricted from entering the temple as its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered to be a celibate.

“Lord Ayappa is not a separate denomination,” said Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. “Religion is for one dignity with identity. Right to practice religion available to men and women,” he asserted.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by the Chief Justice had reserved its judgement on a bunch of petitions that challenge the ban on entry of women on August 1 after hearing the case for eight days.

Justice Misra, delivering another in a series of landmark rulings this week, said: “Rules based on biological characteristics will not muster constitution.”

During the hearings, the Travancore Devaswom Board which runs the over 800-year-old Lord Ayyappa temple, had told the court that the ban is not anti-women and is voluntarily accepted by them. 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 board had also urged the top court to steer clear of sitting in judgment on sensitive religious matters.

The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the temple ban, had told the Supreme Court in July that it favoured the entry of women.