The Supreme Court today announcing its verdict on a review petition against its order on the Sabarimala temple case, referred the case to a larger seven-judge bench. The earlier verdict allowing women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple is still operational. A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will deliver a judgement on petitions seeking review of its September 2018 order which allowed menstruating women to enter the Ayyappa shrine in Kerala.
The Supreme Court had last year ordered that women of all ages must be allowed into the famous Ayyappa shrine in Kerala. The order had ended a centuries-old ban on women and girls between 10 and 50 years.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which manages the Sabarimala shrine had argued that the court could not intervene in a centuries-old belief. The verdict had sparked a series of protests.
The Kerala government had supported the verdict saying the court could set aside religious practices which are against fundamental rights.