Welcome SC's decision to refer Sabarimala issue to a larger constitutional bench: RSS

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to refer a batch of petitions in the Sabarimala case to a larger constitutional bench.

"We welcome the Supreme Court decision to accept the review petition on file and refer the matter to a larger Constitutional bench," a tweet on the official twitter handle of the RSS read.

The statement of RSS, issued by Arun Kumar, Prachar Pramukh, however, added that the restriction of women in the Sabarimala temple had nothing to do with discrimination but had more to do with the specialty of the deity.

"Matters related to traditions and customs are issues of faith and belief. Restriction of women belonging to a particular age-group to the Sabarimala shrine has nothing to do with gender inequality or discrimination and that is strictly based on the speciality of the deity," another tweet read.

"We are of the firm view that the judicial review under whatever pretext in the matter will be violative of the spirit of the freedom of worship guaranteed by our Constitution. And the opinion of the concerned authorities should be given paramount consideration in such matters," it added in another tweet.

Earlier in the day, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court referred a clutch of petitions seeking review of its order which paved the way for the entry of women into Sabarimala temple in Kerala to a larger seven-judge bench by a majority 3:2 ruling and observed that the right to worship by an individual cannot outweigh rights of a religious group.

While Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra send the review petitions to a larger bench, Justices Nariman and Chandrachud authored a dissenting judgment.

The review petitions challenged the authority of the apex court to intervene in the belief of the people. It argued that the temple deity is a "Brahmachari" (celibate) and "centuries-old beliefs" should not be disturbed by the entry of menstruating women worshippers.