SABARIMALA SHRINE CASE: Will women be welcomed?

Since the time immemorial, women have been barred from entering religious places like Sabarimala Shrine in Kerala in the name of ‘tradition’. The restrictions posed on them prohibit them from practicing the basic right to freely worship places of their choice. While women and the Travancore Devaswom Board, which controls the access to shrine, have their own arguments to support, January 18 is the day when Supreme Court will decide the fate of women in this regard.

The issue came to the fore when advocate Naushad Ahmed Khan filed a petition on behalf of Indian Young Lawyer’s Association (IYLA) in Supreme Court seeking entry of women in Sabarimala’s temple. The restrictions were placed on menstruating women by the temple’s management preventing them from entering the shrine because they were considered unclean. They banned women in the age group of 10-50 from entering the holy place as this was considered to be an act of desecration. This is not the first case of its type. There are around 339 temples in the region which hold such discrimination against women.

Click here to read: Whats challenging Einstein Theory of relativity?
Also read: SSB Awareness Series: What happened in Pathankot?

The Sabrimala governing board considers this prohibition as a custom which is right in all respect. They back it up with the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship Rules 1965, which permits prohibiting of women from accessing places of worship where custom requires it. On the other hand, women consider this act against the basic laws of Constitution. They argue that the Article 25(1) of the constitution guarantees every person the right to freely profess, practice and propagate their religion. And the ban in itself discriminates against them and is completely against their fundamental right to equality. 

On January 11, Justice Deepak Mishra supported the women’s case in the Supreme Court saying that he was sympathetic to the women’ claims to entering and worshiping at the shrine. But the temple’s management is firm on their stand. They are deploying every possible force to prevent people from supporting women in their argument. They are already sending threat calls to Mr. Khan to withdraw his petition. Considering this scenario, the Supreme Court has declared January 18 when his plea will be considered. The success of this case will allow a series of such cases to gain momentum.

Click here to read: Sure shot success Mantra for SSB
Also read: Know your SSB Selection Centres

In another such case where the women and the dalits were banned from entering the Parsuram temple in Garhwal’s Jaunsar region, the temple’s management has finally lifted the ban on them after 400 years. They have gained cognizance of the fact that these matters are completely absurd and they need to move with the times. The entire episode should be a lesson to be learnt by the Sabarimala governing board. They must ensure that the women are given equal rights to worship. We will see a lot of arguments happening in the Supreme Court, it will also be a time to determine where does gender justice stands in the religious institutions. It will also decide whether women can enjoy their constitutional right to equality and freedom of religion in the near future.

About the Author: Arshdeep Kaur is an Electronics and Communication Engineer who is working in one of the leading MNCs in Bangalore. Born and brought up in Delhi, she is exploring her interests in the areas of writing