Kerala Backs Sabarimala Entry Restrictions in Supreme Court

The Kerala government, led by the Left Democratic Front, announced on Friday that it would support measures in the Supreme Court to preserve the traditional customs of the Sabarimala temple, including restrictions on women of menstruating age entering the Lord Ayyappa shrine. This position, outlined in an affidavit to be filed by a March 14 deadline, represents a shift from the state's earlier endorsement of the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that permitted women of all ages to access the hilltop temple in the Western Ghats.

The decision came during a cabinet meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, where officials aligned with a recent resolution from the Travancore Devaswom Board, the body managing the shrine. The board had affirmed its commitment to longstanding practices that bar women typically under 50 from entering, emphasizing the need to safeguard centuries-old traditions followed by millions of devotees. The government's response addresses seven specific queries posed by the court in ongoing review petitions challenging the 2018 verdict, none of which directly mandate women's entry, according to state officials.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary M.V. Govindan...