Supreme Court lifts ban on entry of women to Sabarimala Temple
Supreme Court lifts ban on entry of women to Sabarimala Temple A five-judge Constitution Bench has by a majority verdict lifted the ban on the entry of women in the age group of 10 to 50 to the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. Of five Judges, including the Chief Justice, four upheld the right of women to religion at par with their male colleagues while one Judge had a different opinion. The CJI and Justice Khanwilkar allowed the petitions against restriction on the entry of women to the temple. Out of the four verdicts, the first one was by CJI Misra and Justice Khanwilkar, and the second and third by Justice Rohinton F Nariman and Justice DY Chandrachud. The first three verdicts were concurring. CJI Misra delivered the first verdict for himself and Justice Khanwilkar. The CJI spoke against patriarchal religious practices. The CJI and Justice Khanwilkar ruled that followers of Lord Ayyappa didn’t constitute a separate religious denomination. Justice Nariman said the practice violated women’s right to religion and right to equality. Majority ruled against the the Sabarimala Temple entry restriction on women. Justice DY Chandrachud terming the practice derogatory to women, said ‘religion couldn’t become a cover for such discriminatory practices; women couldn’t be treated as children of lesser gods.’ Justice Indu Malhotra said the verdict would have far-reaching consequences for all religions and religious practices. Equality in the context of religious practices must be viewed from the point of view of the followers of the same practice, she said. Justice Malhotra disagreed with the four other judges, and ruled that followers of Lord Ayyappa constituted a separate religious denomination. -PTC News
