Name of the Case : Indian Young Lawyers Association vs. State of Kerala
Year of Judgement : 2018
Popular Name : Sabarimala case
Related Topic/ Issue : Women's entry into Sabarimala temple
Related Article/ Schedule : 14, 21 & 25
Supreme Court Judgement:
- Key Decision: Women of all ages can enter the Sabarimala temple and worship Lord Ayyappa.
- Unconstitutionality of Ban: Declared the ban on the entry of women aged 10-50 years into the temple as unconstitutional.
Violation of Rights: Held that the ban violates:
- Right to equality under Article 14
- Right to personal liberty under Article 21
- Right to freedom of religion under Article 25
- Struck Down Rule: Struck down Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorization of Entry) Rules, 1965, which prohibited the entry of women into the temple.
Impact of the Judgement:
- Protests and Hartals: Led to widespread protests and hartals by devotees of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala.
- Attempts to Enter Temple: Some women attempted to enter the temple but faced strong resistance from devotees, priests, and authorities.
- Mixed Results: While some attempts were successful, others were met with resistance.
- Referral to Larger Bench: The five-judge Sabarimala Review Bench referred the case to a larger bench for adjudication in November 2019.
- Constitution of Nine-judge Bench: Subsequently, a nine-judge bench was constituted to conduct hearings on this reference.
