New Delhi: Voicing support for women who are fighting to end discrimination in Hindu culture and their right to enter places of worships, the Supreme Court on Monday questioned how the temple authorities can discriminate on the basis of biological phenomenon.
"You are making a classification. Are you associating mensuration with purity of an individual? Can a biological phenomenon be a condition, a precedent for entry of women at temples?," the Supreme Court asked the Sabarimala temple trust.
The apex court observed that all practices are acceptable until there is no distinction between genders.
Responding to the court queries, the temple administration said that the hill where women aren't allowed is sanctified and the tradition not allowing women in the age group of 10 to 50, dates back hundreds of years and cannot be changed.
"When recruitment for the armed forces takes place, citizens between 18-24 years of age are considered. It may seem classification amongst men, but reason is endurance”, Sabarimala temple administration told the apex court.
Earlier, the court had said gender equality was a “constitutional message” and ban on entry of women of a particular age group in Sabarimala shrine cannot be claimed as a right to manage religious affairs by its management.
On January 11, the apex court had questioned the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age group at the Lord Ayyappa temple, while hearing the PIL.
