Centre’s stance before the Supreme Court
The Union government has told the Supreme Court that the age‑based restriction on women entering Kerala’s Sabarimala temple is not rooted in gender discrimination or notions of “impurity,” but in the established religious tradition that Lord Ayyappa is a Naishtika Brahmachari—a lifelong celibate deity. In its written submissions ahead of a fresh nine‑judge constitutional‑bench hearing, the Centre argues that the rule is meant to preserve the deity’s celibate character and the temple’s ritual framework, not to denigrate women.
History of the 10–50 age bar
Under the old practice, women between roughly 10 and 50 years of age were barred from entry, a restriction that was judicially upheld by the Kerala High Court in 1991 and later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in a 4–1 verdict in 2018. The 2018 judgment allowed women of all ages into Sabarimala, saying the restriction violated the fundamental rights of Hindu women, but religious groups and several governments have since pushed for a review.
Why the case is being revisited
Both the Centre and the Kerala government now back pleas seeking restoration of the age‑based restriction, framing it as an “essential religious practice” specific to Sabarimala rather than a general social exclusion. With the re‑hearing scheduled just before Kerala’s Assembly elections, the Sabarimala question is once again at the centre of a larger debate over religious autonomy, gender equality, and how far the Constitution should intervene in temple customs.
