New Delhi:
In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Friday struck down the century-old rule of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala and ruled that women of all age groups can enter the temple, saying that “women no way inferior to men”. The apex court was dealing with a clutch of pleas challenging the ban on entry of women between 10 and 50 years of age into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that "On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors".
Though four judges, including CJI Misra, have the same opinion in the Sabarimala temple case, Justice Indu Malhotra has given one dissenting opinion into the same. The other justices on the bench include RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud.
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Here are the LIVE updates on Sabarimala Verdict:
# 11:15 am: Religious practices can't solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. It's up to the worshippers, not the court to decide what's religion's essential practice, Indu Malhotra added.
Religious practices can't solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. It's up to the worshippers, not the court to decide what's religion's essential practice: Justice Indu Malhotra, dissenting judge. #SabrimalaVerdict pic.twitter.com/gNPOS5RAIQ
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018
# 11:14 am: Opposing the judgment, Justice Indu Malhotra said, "Present judgement won't be limited to Sabarimala, it will have wide ramifications. Issues of deep religious sentiments shouldn't be ordinarily interfered into".
# 10:56 am: Right to worship is given to all devotees and there can be no discrimination on the basis of gender, says the CJI.
# 10:55 am: The practice of barring women in age group of 10-50 to go inside the temple is violative of constitutional principles: Dipak Misra.
# 10:51 am: Women of all age groups will now be allowed in Kerala's Sabarimala temple.
# 10:50 am: Supreme Court allows entry of women in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.
Supreme Court allows entry of women in Kerala’s #Sabarimala temple. pic.twitter.com/I0zVdn0In1
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018
# 10:49 am: Devotees of Lord Ayyappa are Hindus, don't constitute a separate religious denomination. No physiological and biological factor can be given legitimacy if it doesn't pass the test of conditionality. Restrictions put by Sabarimala temple can't be held as essential religious practice, says CJI Misra.
# 10:45 am: Women no way inferior to men. On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors: Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra while reading out the judgment on Sabarimala Temple case.
Women no way inferior to men. On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors: CJI Dipak Misra on the ban on entry of women in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple. pic.twitter.com/DfwZR9xsan
— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2018
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The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of the menstrual age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favoured their entry.
The management of the Sabarimala temple, however, had earlier told the SC that the ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years was because they cannot maintain “purity” on account of menstruation.
