[ad_1]
The Supreme Court in India on Friday banned girls and women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering one of the most sacred Hindu temples in southern India.
This is the second judgment in two days that has boosted gender equality in India. On Thursday, the court overturned a law that criminalized adultery, claiming that it was discriminatory against women.
The authorities of Sabarimala Ayyapa Temple, in the state of Kerala, declared that the prohibition of women of childbearing age was based on the belief that the god of the sanctuary was single.
The judges pointed out, however, that devotion could not be discriminated against on the grounds of sex and that the right to practice religion was accessible to both men and women.
The petitioners argued that the prohibition violated the right to equality and was biased against women. Discrimination against menstruating women is widespread in many communities in India who consider them unclean and prevent them from practicing religious rituals.
Perched on a secluded hill in Kerala, the Sabarimala Temple opens less than half of the year and attracts millions of worshipers.
The ruling was not a surprise: in the past two years, activists have challenged similar bans on women in the sanctuaries of two other temples and a historic mosque in Mumbai. But the temple of Sabarimala was considered as a benchmark because it is one of the holiest shrines of the Hindu religion.
The only dissident voice on the bench of five judges came from the only female lawyer.
"Religious practices can not be tested solely on the basis of the right to equality," Judge Indu Malhotra said, adding that the court should not normally interfere in issues of deep religious feelings. .
The temple authorities in southern India have indicated that they will continue the struggle to preserve the traditions and may request a review of the decision before it opens in mid-October. "It touches the very heart of temple beliefs and systems," said Rahul Eeswaran, a social activist who supports the ban.
But others have hailed the judgment as progressive.
"It's a good judgment because it opens up and leads the way," said Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi, adding that Hinduism has always been an inclusive religion.
Exalted activists who have been at the forefront of what they call the Right to Pray movement have stated that a whole series of recent decisions would send the message that "regressive" traditions will not be sanctioned.
Other decisions
On Thursday, the court overturned a law relating to adultery that made it a crime for a man to have sex with another man's wife without his permission. Archaic law was also considered discriminatory against women because it gave a husband the right to sue his wife's lover without granting women the same right. In another landmark this month, the court has legalized homosexual sex.
Calling these extremely important decisions, Ranjana Kumari, director of the Center for Social Research in New Delhi, said that they would help break down patriarchy and bring about change in a country where men dominate the family, religion and religion. policy.
"It takes time, it is not a magic wand, but it will certainly change people's mentality," she said.
