GENDER ROW

SC cites Vedas, questions ban on women in Sabarimala

sabarimala-pti (File) Lor Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala | PTI

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned centuries old ban on women in Sabarimala temple in Kerala saying the Vedas and the Upanishads do not discriminate between men and women.

The top court gave six weeks time to the Travancore Devaswom Board to give a response regarding this.

According to the centuries old tradition in this Lord Ayyappa temple in Pathanamthitta district of the state, women aged between 10 and 50 are not allowed to enter the shrine.

"In the Vedas, Upanishads or scriptures there is no discrimination between and men and women. This has cropped up historically," the court said while hearing a petition.

"We want to strike a constitutional balance between the right to equality and the right to religious practice," the court said and added that the temple is a religious phenomenon and its functions must come within parameters.

Earlier Kerala government had supported the existing ban on women in the temple and told the apex court that it is bound to protect the religious rights.

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