Sabarimala verdict: Shiv Sena calls for 12-hour bandh in Kerala on October 1

The Supreme Court’s verdict on Kerala's Sabarimala temple has triggered the Shiv Sena to call for a statewide 12-hour bandh in Kerala on October 1. The party will protest the apex court’s landmark judgment allowing women of all ages to enter Lord Ayyappa’s temple.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that "On one hand, women are worshipped as Goddesses, but there are restrictions on the other hand. Relationship with God can't be defined by biological or physiological factors".

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Though four judges, including CJI Misra, have the same opinion in the Sabarimala temple case, Justice Indu Malhotra has given one dissenting opinion into the same. The other justices on the bench include RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud.

The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of the menstrual age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favoured their entry.

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The management of the Sabarimala temple, however, had earlier told the SC that the ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years was because they cannot maintain “purity” on account of menstruation.

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

However, the temple Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru said though the verdict was "disappointing", but they accepted it. "I respect the court verdict. It is very difficult to arrange special facilities for women in the present context. The Board has to make arrangements...," he added.