Sabarimala women entry: Supreme Court to hear review petitions today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India is set to hear review petitions on Monday challenging its landmark 2018 verdict that permitted women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala.

A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant will consider procedural aspects related to the formation of a proposed nine-judge Constitution Bench to examine wider questions concerning women’s religious freedoms, including the Sabarimala issue.

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In addition to Sabarimala, the larger Bench is expected to deliberate on broader legal questions arising from cases involving the entry of Muslim women into mosques, the rights of Parsi women married to non-Parsis to enter fire temples, and the practice of female genital mutilation among girls from the Dawoodi Bohra community within Shia Islam.

Petitions filed by various parties, including the Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community, are also listed for hearing on Monday.

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Government to state position

The government will present its stance before the court on the Sabarimala women’s entry issue, said M V Govindan, State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

He stated that the government had earlier implemented the position laid down by the court and would continue to abide by its directions. “If the court says women should be allowed entry, they will be allowed. If it says they should not, then they will not,” he said.