On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court granted permission for a minor girl to accompany her father to Sabarimala for 'darshan.'
The court granted the permission in light of a similar order issued by it in April of this year, as well as a state government order issued on August 4 that states that children can accompany vaccinated people in all activities they engage in.
The order was issued in response to a petition filed by the minor girl, who is nine years old, seeking permission to accompany her father to Sabarimala on August 23.
The minor's lawyer stated that she wishes to visit Sabarimala before the age of ten, as she will be unable to visit the shrine for the next four decades.
"We are of the considered opinion that an interim order can be issued permitting the petitioner to accompany her father to Sabarimala for darshan on August 23," the high court said after hearing the matter.
On September 28, 2018, the Supreme Court issued a decision allowing women of all ages to enter the Ayyappa shrine at the Sabarimala temple. While reading out the judgement, the five-judge bench led by Judge Dipak Misra stated that the practise of prohibiting women aged 10 to 50 from entering the temple violates the constitutional principle of equality. All the judges barring one, Ms. Indu Malhotra, were in favor of scrapping the draconian rule disallowing women from entering into the shrine.
Keeping women out of places of worship violates Articles 14, 15, 19, and 25 of the Indian constitution. This century-old practise is a form of "untouchability" and is prohibited by the Indian Constitution. Article 17 certainly applies to untouchability practises in relation to lower castes, but it will also apply to the systemic humiliation, exclusion, and subjugation that women face.
