The Kerala High Court on Monday observed that devotees of all religions have the right to enter the Sabarimala temple, ANI reported. The High Court made the observation in response to an application filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s TG Mohandas who sought a ban on the entry of non-Hindus into the temple.
In his petition, Mohandas sought a directive to enforce Rule 3(a) under the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965, that prohibits the entry of non-Hindus into temples. He also sought an independent investigation into the police action allowing non-Hindu women and non-idol worshippers into the temple following the Supreme Court’s September 28 order overturning a ban on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50.
Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965, that prohibits entry of non-Hindus into temples. He also sought an independent investigation into the police action allowing non-Hindu women and non-idol worshippers into the temple following the Supreme Court’s recent order allowing the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50.
The court told Mohandas that his application seemed to disrupt the secular nature of the state. The court also asked the Kerala government and the Travancore Devaswom Board, which administers the temple, to submit a report in connection with the matter. It scheduled the next hearing in the matter after two weeks, Mathrubhumi reported.
In his petition, Mohandas claimed that a scheme to regulate the entry of non-Hindus is in force in all major temples in the country, The Times of India reported.
Meanwhile, the High Court described as “premature” a petition filed by four women seeking police protection to visit the Sabarimala temple, LiveLaw reported. The petitioners’ apprehensions that they might face violence if they attempted to visit the temple is based on “conjectures and surmises”, observed the court.
The petitioners said that various individuals and organisations had publicly declared that they would not let women enter the shrine.
When the temple opened for rituals for five days earlier this month, protestors stopped women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering the shrine. No woman between these ages was able to enter the temple, which was in contravention of the Supreme Court order women of all ages entry.
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