Board's counsel senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi told the court, "We have been excluding women for a long time. But times have changed and we have to move forward by making the inclusion of women a reality in all walks of life." The Board counsel accepted the same, saying, "After the decision of the court, the Board has taken the decision to respect the judgment." The Kerala government, represented by senior lawyer Jaideep Gupta, argued that rituals practiced at Sabarimala may be unique just as in the case of Jagannath temple, Kashi Vishwanath temple, and Tirupathi temple but not essential as these have not been declared denominational temples by the apex court. In support of the state, Indira Jaising, appearing for the women desiring to enter temple said that if a woman's conscience tells her to enter a temple, Article 25 protects every citizen's right to conscience along with religious belief.

Source: dna February 06, 2019 23:37 UTC