Sabarimala Hearing: Supreme Court Says Women’s Right To Enter Temples Backed By Constitution

The Supreme Court has observed that the women have a constitutional right to enter temples while hearing a petition seeking women’s entry into the Sabarimala temple, Deccan Herald has reported. Sabarimala temple prohibits women aged between 10 to 50 years from entering the temple.

The Kerala government has said that it supports the entry of all women irrespective of their age to the temple. “You are changing with changing times,” the court said to senior advocate Jaydeep Gupta, appearing for the Kerala government. The court said it as the Kerala government had filed an affidavit stating that it supports the entry of women into temples and had made a U-turn in 2017 where it had opposed the entry.

“The right to enter a temple is not dependent on a legislation. It is a constitutional right,” constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed. Representing ‘Happy To Bleed’ campaigners, senior advocate Indira Jaising contended that the prohibition of entry of women into temples violates fundamental rights.

The bench also said, “Your right as a woman to pray is equal to that of a man and is not dependent on a law to enable you to do so.”

The court has appointed senior advocate Raju Ramachandran as amicus curie for the case. Even Ramachandran said that prohibiting entry of women into temples is violative of fundamental rights.

Kerala Minister K Surendran has said that the government is bound by the verdict of the apex court and will have to obey its order on the matter.