New Delhi: The Supreme court on Wednesday observed that Sabarimala temple management has developed a custom and tradition which is being followed to maintain purity of Lord.
The court said the question is whether it could be done on physiological phenomenon. "Can it be guiding factor to deny entry of women in temple," the court said.
"The Lord being a brahamchari, women between the age of 10 to 50 are not allowed. Will it stand the test of constitution? can you deny entry for women based on customs and tradition which are against constitutional principles," the court said, before adjourning the case till Monday.
The Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala has a tradition of allowing entry for girls before they attain puberty and for menopausal women above the age of 50. Women between the age of 10 and 50 are banned from entering because the temple believes women who menstruate are impure.
The rule was introduced by the Travancore Devasom Board that maintains the temple.
In 2015, the head of the temple's board created controversy by saying that women would be able to access the temple only after a body scanner is invented to determine whether they are menstruating.
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