Sabarimala case: Centre backs curbs on women’s entry, says 2018 verdict assumed 'men superior'

NEW DELHI: The Centre connected Thursday supported restrictions connected the introduction of women of menstruating property into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, arguing earlier the Supreme Court that the 2018 verdict lifting the prohibition was based connected an presumption of men being superor to women.A nine-judge Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, is presently proceeding a batch of petitions concerning the introduction of women into places of worship and the broader scope of spiritual state crossed faiths.Appearing for the Centre, solicitor wide Tushar Mehta submitted that spiritual practices cannot beryllium viewed solely done a sex lens, citing examples wherever men are besides barred oregon required to travel circumstantial customs successful definite temples.Referring to traditions linked to the deity, Mehta argued that the Sabarimala signifier is rooted successful religion alternatively than discrimination. He pointed to Kerala’s Kottankulangara Sree Devi Temple, wherever men formal arsenic women during the Chamayavilakku festival, underscoring the diverseness of spiritual customs.“It is not a question of male-centric oregon female-centric beliefs. In this case, it happens to beryllium women-centric,” Mehta told the bench, which includes Justices B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi.

Additional solicitor wide K M Nataraj argued that “public morality,” alternatively than “constitutional morality” arsenic interpreted earlier, should usher the court’s approach.The substance traces backmost to the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling, which, by a 4:1 majority, struck down the prohibition connected introduction of women aged 10 to 50 astatine the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, declaring the signifier unconstitutional.In 2019, a consequent five-judge seat led by erstwhile Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi referred broader questions connected sex favoritism successful places of worship crossed religions to a larger bench, noting that specified issues necessitate deeper introspection beyond idiosyncratic cases.The ongoing hearings are expected to find however law principles of equality intersect with the close to practise religion.