Bhushan listed the case for next hearing on February 20, 2017.
The Kerala temple does not allow women between the age of 10 and 50 to enter its premises. The rule is aimed at keeping menstruating women away from the temple, saying the deity, Lord Ayyappa, is celibate. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the temple, had warned the court that its verdict in the case would have consequences and effects on traditions and practices in other religions as well.The temple authorities had held that they would continue to oppose the entry of women into its inner sanctum.
The Left Democratic Front government has gone back and forth on the matter. It had filed an affidavit in 2008 supporting women in the dispute, but they later withdrew the document in February 2016 and backed the ban instead. Counsel for the government G Prakash had said, "In an earlier round of litigation, the LDF government was in favour of entry of women and now, it has decided to defend the temple’s decision."
On April 11, the apex court had pulled up temple authorities regarding the rampant gender discrimination at Sabarimala, saying that such restrictions infringe on one’s constitutional rights.
The issue of gender discrimination with relation to the entry of women into religious shrines has come under the spotlight recently, with women activists such as Trupti Desai calling on the boards of places of worship to allow women into their main sanctums. On September 3, the Bombay High Court lifted a ban on women’s entry into the inner portion of the Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai. The dargah board informed the Supreme Court on October 24 that it was ready to allow women into the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine.
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