Sabarimala women's entry: Devaswom Board replaces counsel to align with reverted opposing stance

New Delhi: Aligning its legal representation with its revised policy, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has appointed Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi to represent it in the Supreme Court. Singhvi, who has consistently argued in favour of temple traditions and against the entry of women, replaces Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, who had previously supported women's entry on behalf of the Board.

This change of counsel marks a formal departure from the Board’s 2019 position. During the review petition hearings on February 6, 2019, Rakesh Dwivedi had argued that the Board supported the entry of women, asserting that all worshippers are equal under the Constitution. At that time, Singhvi was appearing for former TDB president Prayar Gopalakrishnan to oppose that very stance.

On Monday, Singhvi appeared in the Supreme Court representing the TDB itself, signaling that the Board's official position has now returned to the protection of traditional customs. Singhvi requested the nine-judge Constitution Bench for additional time to submit written arguments.

The Bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and including Standing Counsel P S Sudheer, granted the request, extending the deadline for all parties to file their written submissions until next Monday.