In South Carolina, temple committee defends Sabarimala temple’s ban on women entry

Thiruvananthapuram: Travancore Devaswom Committee will submit an affidavit to the Supreme Court to preserve existing traditions Sabarimala TempleBoard chairman K Jayakumar on Monday expressed opposition to the 2018 ruling to open the hill shrine to women of all ages.The decision was taken at a board meeting when the court was considering a petition regarding entry of menstruating women into temples in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. On September 28, 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench voted by a 4-1 majority to strike down the restrictions on Sabarimala – a centuries-old practice that barred women between the ages of 10 and 50. The Supreme Court found that the ban violated equality and freedom of belief. It said biological factors cannot be a reason to deny entry to places of worship. “We will challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling. The board has no objection to it,” Jayakumar said. “TDB was established under the rules to protect the temple and its traditions.”TDB is an autonomous statutory body headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram and manages over 1,000 temples in Kerala. Established in 1950, it is the largest of the five devaswom committees in the state and oversees iconic shrines, the most famous of which is Sabarimala.Jayakumar, in objecting to a review of the 2018 judgment in 2020 by the commission’s lawyers, said it reflected the legal view at the time rather than a change in policy. “The devil has only one position – that tradition should be protected and followed,” he said, adding that the committee could make its position clear when courts begin review. The court has given the parties until March 15 to communicate their positions. Jayakumar said the meeting was held against this backdrop and the board decided to take a stand “in line with the mood of the devotees”. Asked whether the Kerala government would reflect the committee’s stand, he said the issue should be raised with the government.