Thiruvananthapuram: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president Prayar Gopalakrishnan stirred a controversy by saying that no “self-respecting” woman born in a “decent” family would enter the Sabarimala Temple even if the Supreme Court lifted the ban.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to refer the matter to its Constitution bench, he stuck to his stand that women of menstruating age should not be allowed to enter the temple.
“We will not allow Sabarimala to become Thailand,” he said on Friday, hinting that if women are allowed to enter, Sabarimala will become a tourist centre. “Even if the court allows entry of women of menstruating age into Sabarimala, no self-respecting woman will go up to the hill shrine,” he added.
The hill shrine in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district is managed by the TDB, which has restricted the entry of women between 10 to 50 years of age.
Gopalakrishnan said that it that was a matter of security as well as tradition. “What will be the situation if women between the ages of 10 to 50 have to climb uphill under challenging weather conditions without any safety?” he asked.
“If women are allowed to enter the shrine, women police will also have to be deputed for security. This will lead to a lot of issues, including immoral activities,” he added.
Kerala Minister for Devaswom and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran flayed the remarks of the TDB chief and said he had insulted the women community and Ayyappa devotees with such a comparison.
He wanted the TDB president to tender an apology for his remark. Surendran also said that the CPI(M)-led LDF government in the state was of the view that there should not be gender- based discrimination for entry in temples. “We will abide by the court ruling,” he said.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Friday framed five ?significant? questions to be dealt with by the constitution bench, including whether the practice of banning entry of women in the temple amounted to discrimination and violated their fundamental rights under the constitution.
The management of the Sabarimala Temple, located on a hilltop in the Western Ghats of Pathanamthitta district, had earlier told the apex court that the ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years is because they cannot maintain ?purity? on account of menstruation.
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