NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Friday is likely to pronounce a verdict on the Sabarimala case of petitions challenging restrictions on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 inside Kerala’s Sabarimala temple. Women of menstrual age are restricted from entering the temple as its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered to be a celibate.
The five-judge bench of the court, headed by CJI Dipak Misra, had in August reserved its verdict on the pleas challenging the age-old practice. Lord Ayyappa in a “naishtika brahmacharya”, meaning perennial celibate is one of the much-awaited judgments before Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra retires on October 2.
The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of a particular age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favours their entry. The plea challenging the ban has been filed by petitioners Indian Young Lawyers Association and others, has challenged the 800-year-old practice of prohibiting the entry of women into the famed Lord Ayyappan Temple.
