12-year-old girl barred from entering Sabarimala Temple

Kerala police on Tuesday barred a 12-year-old girl from trekking to the Sabarimala Temple after checking her proof of age.

The girl was supposed to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple to offer prayers along with her father and relatives.

Women of menstruating age, that is between the ages of 10 and 50, are barred from entering the Sabarimala Temple by its officials, who argue that the temple deity, Lord Ayyappa, had taken a vow of celibacy.

The Sabarimala temple and surrounding areas have witnessed a string of protests since October last year after the Supreme Court in its judgment, on September 28, 2018, removed the centuries-old ban on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into the holy shrine.

A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said banning women's entry into the temple is gender discrimination and violates the rights of Hindu women. The ruling came after a petition argued that the practice violated gender equality.