Kerala High Court refuses to allow 10-year-old girl to Sabarimala temple
The bench dismissed the minor’s plea after noting that review petitions against the entry restrictions are currently pending before the Supreme Court.
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The Kerala High Court recently refused to allow a 10-year-old girl to visit Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.
Currently, women and girls between the ages of 10 and 50 years are not allowed entry into the hilltop shrine of Hindu deity Ayyappa.
On September 28, 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench, which included former Chief Justice Dipak Misra, allowed women of all ages to enter the temple, leading to massive protests.
On November 14, 2019, a five-judge Constitution bench ruled, in a 3:2 verdict, that a larger bench should consider the matter again.
The bench had decided to keep the review petitions in the matter pending until a larger bench determines questions related to essential religious practices.
On Tuesday, a High Court bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and Harisankar V Menon dismissed the 10-year-old girl’s petition, filed through her father, noting that the review petitions are pending before the Supreme Court.
The bench stated that the “question regarding the interplay between freedom of religion under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India and the provisions in Part III, particularly Article 14, and connected issues are pending before a larger Bench of the Supreme Court”.
Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of conscience, and the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion to all citizens. Article 26 states that...
