SC to hear next week plea of woman barred from entering Sabarimala temple despite apex court's nod allowing women of all age groups to visit shrine

New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday agreed to hear next week the plea of a Kerala woman alleging that she had been prevented from visiting the Sabarimala temple despite the apex court’s verdict allowing women of all age groups entry into the shrine. [caption id=“attachment_5567011” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of devotees entering the Sabarimala temple. PTI[/caption] A bench comprising chief justice SA Bobde and justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant took note of the submission of senior advocate Colin Gonsalves that the woman had not been allowed to visit the historical shrine. A five-judge Constitution bench, by a majority of four is to one, in its verdict delivered in September last year, had allowed girls and women of all age groups to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala, saying that discrimination on physiological grounds was violative of fundamental rights like the Right to Equality. Gonsalves alleged that despite the apex court verdict, the woman was prevented from entering the shrine and was rather mockingly asked to get an order from the apex court with regard to her entry. “We will list the petition next week,” the bench said. Recently a woman activist, Bindu Ammini, and one Fathima have been prevented from entering Sabarimala temple and these incidents have been widely reported in local media.