<div>The Supreme Court today questioned the age-old tradition of banning entry of women of menstrual age group in historic Sabarimala temple in Kerala, saying it cannot be done under the Constitution.<br /><br />"The temple cannot prohibit entry (women), except on the basis of religion. Unless you have a constitutional right, you cannot prohibit entry. Anyway, we will examine it on February 8," a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said.<br /><br />The bench was hearing a PIL, filed by the Young Lawyers Association, seeking entry for all women and girls in the Sabarimala temple which, as a practice, does not allow girls after attaining puberty to enter the premises.<br /><br />However, women, who have crossed menopause, are allowed. During the brief hearing today, the bench posed a query as to why women cannot be allowed inside and observed that the practice was not supported by the constitutional scheme.<br /><br />It asked the government whether it was sure that women have not entered the temple premises in the last 1,500 years.<br /><br />The bench also observed that it was a public temple and everyone needed to have "the right to access". At best, there can be religious restrictions and not a general restriction, it said.<br /><br />Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for Kerala, said the women, who have not attained menopause, cannot preserve the purity during the religious journey to the temple, located on a hilltop, which usually spans 41 days.</div>
<div>The Supreme Court today questioned the age-old tradition of banning entry of women of menstrual age group in historic Sabarimala temple in Kerala, saying it cannot be done under the Constitution.<br /><br />"The temple cannot prohibit entry (women), except on the basis of religion. Unless you have a constitutional right, you cannot prohibit entry. Anyway, we will examine it on February 8," a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said.<br /><br />The bench was hearing a PIL, filed by the Young Lawyers Association, seeking entry for all women and girls in the Sabarimala temple which, as a practice, does not allow girls after attaining puberty to enter the premises.<br /><br />However, women, who have crossed menopause, are allowed. During the brief hearing today, the bench posed a query as to why women cannot be allowed inside and observed that the practice was not supported by the constitutional scheme.<br /><br />It asked the government whether it was sure that women have not entered the temple premises in the last 1,500 years.<br /><br />The bench also observed that it was a public temple and everyone needed to have "the right to access". At best, there can be religious restrictions and not a general restriction, it said.<br /><br />Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for Kerala, said the women, who have not attained menopause, cannot preserve the purity during the religious journey to the temple, located on a hilltop, which usually spans 41 days.</div>