Now, Kerala backs women at Sabarimala

The counsel for the state government, which had earlier supported the ban on women’s entry in the temple in its additional affidavit filed in July this year, told the apex court it will now go by its original response filed in 2007 favouring entry of women in the temple premises. Initially, the LDF government had taken a progressive stand in 2007 by favouring women’s entry in the temple, which was overturned by the Congress-led United Democratic Front dispensation later. However, the UDF, before losing power to the LDF this year, had taken a view that it was against the entry of women of the age group of 10-to-50 years into the temple as such a practice was being followed since time immemorial. “On being asked as to what is the stand of the state, senior advocate Gupta states that the state intends to place reliance on its original affidavit (2007) and not on additional affidavit,” a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan said.