Entry of women to Sabarimala

Sabarimala is a temple dedicated to Shasta, in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India.^[1] Women and girls of reproductive age have traditionally not been permitted to worship there, as Shasta is a celibate deity.^[2] The Kerala high court provided a legal justification for this tradition, and since 1991 onwards, women and girls (from age 10 to age 50) were legally forbidden to enter the temple.

In September 2018, a judgement of the Supreme Court of India ruled that all Hindu pilgrims, regardless of gender, could enter the temple. The Constitution bench of the Supreme Court held that "any exception placed on women because of biological differences violates the Constitution." Specifically, the court held that the ban violated the right to equality under Article 14 and the right to freedom of religion under Article 25.^[3][4]

This verdict led to protests by millions of Ayyappan devotees who opposed the verdict.^[5] A month later, about ten female activists attempted to enter the temple despite threats of physical assault. They were unsuccessful.^[6][7] In the early hours of 2 January 2019, two women activists entered the temple through the rear gate in defiance of ongoing protest. When they heard that women had entered Sabarimala, the temple priests and authorities closed the temple for purification rituals.^[8][9][10]