Supreme Court declines urgent hearing on plea seeking review of Sabarimala Temple verdict allowing entry of women of all ages in the hilltop shrine

The Supreme Court on Monday refused urgent hearing on a review petition filed against the verdict allowing entry of women of all ages in Kerala's Sabarimala temple.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi said the review petitions will be listed in the normal course of proceedings that no stay will be granted. The Supreme Court has also declined the early hearing of the review petition.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph had considered the submission of Shylaja Vijayan, president, National Ayyappa Devotees Association through Mathews J Nedumpara, which contended that the five-judge Constitution bench verdict lifting the ban was "absolutely untenable and irrational".

A five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had in its 4:1 verdict, said banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and that the practice violates rights of Hindu women

READ | National Ayyappa Devotee Association File review Petition Challenging SC's Verdict On Sabarimala Temple

Meanwhile, lord Ayyappa devotees have organised an ‘Ayyappa Nama Japa Yatra’ to Raj Bhavan in protest against Supreme Court’s verdict over women’s entry in Sabarimala temple.

READ | Sabarimala Verdict | HISTORIC: Supreme Court Allows Women Of All Ages To Enter The Temple

The Supreme Court on Tuesday was hearing two petitions which were filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking review of its judgment which lifted the ban on entry of women in age group 10 to 50 years into the Sabarimala Temple.

The separate pleas were filed by National Ayyappa Devotees Association and the Nair Service Society (NSS) in connection with the September 28 judgment which had allowed entry of women of all ages in the hilltop shrine.

In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court on September 28 ended the centuries old practice and allowed women of all ages to enter Sabarimala temple. The 4:1 judgment of the Supreme Court upheld women's right to worship Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala. While terming the ban on women in the age group of 10 to 51 as religious patriarchy, CJI Dipak Misra declared the discriminatory act as unconstitutional and violative of fundamental rights.

READ | Sabarimala Verdict | Justice Indu Malhotra, The Only Woman Judge In Supreme Court’s 5 Judge Bench, Offers Dissenting Opinion On Women’s Entry To Sabarimala Temple

(With PTI Inputs)