Kerala govt moderates Sabarimala stance, seeks Supreme Court decision after views of scholars and reformers

Supreme Court urged to assess women’s views and past experiences regarding Sabarimala temple entry, as Kerala reconsiders its stance.

In a climbdown from its unqualified support for the entry of women of a menstrual age into the famed Sabarimala temple, the Kerala Government said the question of ban as an essential religious practice should be answered by the Supreme Court only after assessing the “impartial” opinion of “social reformers and religious scholars”.

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The poll-bound State, in its written submissions before the apex court, said “previous experience in the matter of Sabarimala shrine and the response of devotees, including women devotees”, should be considered.

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The Sabarimala petitions would be part of multiple cases coming up before a nine-judge Constitution Bench on the question of what constitutes an “essential religious practice”.