Supreme Court lifts ban on women's entry to Sabarimala temple in Kerala

India's Supreme Court today allowed entry of women of all ages into theSabarimala temple in Kerala.

Also Read: Justice Indu Malhotra lone dissenter in Supreme Court bench

Women cannot be treated as weaker or lesser, Chief Justice of India(CJI) Dipak Misra said while delivering the verdict on the entry of women at the Sabarimala temple.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

A five-judge Supreme Court bench delivered its verdict on the entry of women aged between10 to 50 at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

The Supreme Court said the rule is against the article 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution. "Constitutional morality is supreme,"the CJI said while reading out the verdict.

The bench comprises of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.

"Patriarchal notion cannot be allowed to trump equality in devotion," CJI Misra said. Sabarimala Temple practice violates the rights of Hindu women, Misra added.

The temple's authorities, however, said they will appeal to the Supreme Court for a review of the ruling ahead of its next period of opening of the temple, beginning October 16th.

"Banning entry of women to shrine is gender discrimination," the CJI asserted. Religion is a way of life basically to link life with divinity, he said.

CJI Dipak Misra read out the first of four set of verdicts in the Sabarimala shrine case. Justice Indu Malhotra has written separate dissenting verdict, the CJI said.

Justice R F Nariman, D Y Chandrachud concurred with the CJI.

Law and society are taskedto act as levellers,CJI said, adding,"devotion cannot be subjected to discrimination." Devotees of Lord Ayyappa do not constitute separate denomination, the CJI said.

The practice of exclusion of women of 10-50 age group cannot be regarded as essential religious practice, the CJI said while delivering the verdict.

Kerala law denies rights to women on the ground of physiological reasons, the CJI added.

The ban was challenged by the Indian Young Lawyers Association, among the petitioners who had filed the case in 2006 but it was taken up for hearing in January 2016.

The Kerala government had said earlier that it was not opposed to the "prayers of the petitioner". Kerala state minister K Surendran had said all women, irrespective of their age should be allowed to offer prayers at the Sabarimala Temple.

Last year, in October the Supreme Court bench had asked whether the traditional ban amounts to discrimination against women and violates their fundamental rights under the Constitution.

"Every woman is also the creation of God and why should there be discrimination against them in employment or worship," Justice DY Chandrachud, who is part of the five-judge constitutional bench had said.