The state-appointed Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the shrine, backed the Kerala government’s stand, shedding its earlier support for the centuries-old entry ban on women of childbearing age (construed to be 10 to 50 years). The rest defended the September verdict, with two of them seeking contempt proceedings against those resisting its implementation. Gupta also distinguished between “essential religious practices” --- which may enjoy a degree of constitutional protection --- and “essential practices of a temple”. Justice Malhotra wondered why the board had changed its stand since the hearing of the main petition last year. Indira Jaising, representing a group of women devotees, sought appropriate directions against those violating the court’s order.

Source: The Telegraph February 06, 2019 22:41 UTC