The Kerala Government on Monday backed the demand for women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala shrine, marking a U-turn from its earlier stand which favoured the Temple Board’s decision barring entry to women of menstrual age.
Making its stand clear before the Supreme Court in a PIl filed by Indian Young lawyers Association, which has challenged the ban to be discriminatory and unconstitutional, the Kerala Government asked the Court to record its statement for purpose of deciding of the case.
Interestingly, there have been several twists and turns in the stand of the Kerala Government, with the change of Government in the State. In 2007, the VS Achutanandan Government, constituting the left Front, had filed an affidavit before the apex court supporting entry of women into the shrine, regardless of whether they were of menstrual age. But the Congress-led UDF Government filed a fresh affidavit reversing the earlier stand of the State Government. It backed the traditions followed by the Temple Board to bar entry of women on religious grounds.
After the left Front Government was voted to power in the State in May this year, two months down the line, the State informed the SC that it wished to go with the UDF Government’s stand, suggesting that it was abandoning the party’s earlier position taken in 2007. Now, the clock has turned full circle with the state adopting its initial position.
Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta who appeared for the State submitted to a bench of Justices Dipak Misra, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan, “Women of any age group should not be debarred from entry into the temple to worship the deity.” He clarified that the state will go by the stand taken in its affidavit of 2007.
The counsels appearing for Travancore Devasom Board objected to the changing stands by the state government and demanded that the matter be referred to a Constitution bench. But the bench decided to take up the issue and decide on this aspect in February next year.