New Delhi: The Supreme Court has posed a question whether the biological phenomenon of menstruation is the criterion to judge a woman’s purity and, if so, what is the mechanism to judge the male’s commitment to observing vows as part of the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
The apex court on Monday questioned how the temple authorities could discriminate against women on the basis of a biological phenomenon.
Heading the bench, Justice Deepak Mishra asked the temple trust: “Are you associating menstruation with the purity of an individual? Can a biological phenomenon be a condition, a precedent for the entry of women at temples?”
Temple tells top court, cannot change old rules
Responding to the Supreme Court queries on the bar on entry of women of a certain age, the Sabarimala temple administration said that the stretch “where women aren’t allowed is sanctified” and that the tradition of not allowing women in the 10-50 age group dated back to hundreds of years and cannot be changed.
The SC observed that all practices were acceptable if there was no distinction between genders. Mr K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the trust, said the same yardstick could not be adopted in a country with diverse religions and cultures. There were similar bars in other religions but at Sabarimla, the age restriction pertained to the entry. “When the recruitment for the armed forces takes place, citizens between 18-24 years of age are considered,” said the temple charge.
