New Delhi: Hearing commenced on Tuesday before a five judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on a batch of petitions seeking a direction to allow entry of women to Sabarimala Ayyappa temple without any age restriction. At present female devotees between 10 and 50 years are not allowed entry to the temple.
A five-Judge Bench comprising the Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Rohinton Nariman, A.M. kanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and Ms. Indu Malhotra was hearing petitions filed by Indian Young Lawyers Association and others challenging the ban in vogue for several years. Counsel Ravi Prakash Gupta submitted that female devotees between the age group of 10 to 50 were being denied entry into the temple and their touching the feet of Lord Ayyappa had been considered as a desecration of the Hindu deity.
