A nine-judge bench is hearing petitions regarding discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala temple, and the scope and extent of religious freedom practiced by various faiths. | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that everyone has a right to their individual conscience and no religion is superior to another, even as the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) argued that the entry of “fertile women” between the ages of 10 and 50 would go against the very manifestation and identity of the “special deity” at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
Appearing before the nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi of TDB said there are about 1,000 temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in India. The Sabarimala shrine was the only one with a deity in the form of a Naishtika Brahmachari (permanent celibate).
Published – 15 Apr 2026 16:57 IST
