A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday, November 14, referred the issue of entry of women into Sabarimala temple and other religious places to a larger seven-judge bench. Meanwhile, there is no stay on the September 28, 2018 judgement which lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 in the Sabarimala temple.

The Supreme Court in a 3:2 verdict referred to the Sabarimala issue to a larger bench. Justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud dissented while Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Indu Malhotra and AM Khanwilkar were in favour of referring the matter to a larger bench.

India police intervene as members of Sabarimala Karma Samithi try to disrupt a celebratory meeting after two women entered Sabarimala Ayyapa temple
India police intervene as members of Sabarimala Karma Samithi try to disrupt a celebratory meeting after two women entered Sabarimala Ayyapa temple, at the High Court Junction in Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala on January 2, 2019. - Two women in their 40s defied traditionalists on January 2 to enter the Sabarimala temple, one of Hinduism's holiest sites, sparking violent clashes in southern India. (Photo by - / AFP)/AFP/Getty Images

A constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra delivered their verdict in the Sabarimala case today morning. According to this order, women of all ages can visit the shrine till a larger bench decides this issue.

Sabarimala verdict takeaway

  • 7-judge Supreme Court bench will decide women's Right to Pray.
  • There will be no stay on the entry of women in the temple
  • Two judges opposed sending cases to a larger SC bench
  • 3:2 split verdict on Sabarimala review petition

The Sabarimala row

The apex court had in September 2018 had allowed entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple. It was a 4:1 majority ruling. Before the verdict, women and girls of menstruating age were barred from entering the Ayyapa shrine. Yesterday, the Kerala Police made elaborate security arrangements and has planned to deploy over 10,000 officers in and around Sabarimala for the Mandala Pooja festival. The deployment will be done over five phases starting from November 15. The temple will open on November 16 for the three-month-long pilgrimage season.