Sabarimala women’s entry: Kerala Law Minister says govt to seek ‘balance’ between religious practices, constitutional rights ahead of SC hearing

Kerala Law Minister P. Rajeeve has said the State government would “strike an optimal balance” between essential religious practices central to faith and elemental Constitutional questions as it recalibrates the State’s position on allowing women of menstruating age to enter the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple ahead of the Supreme Court hearing review petitions in the case in April 2026.

The move assumes political significance against the backdrop of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Kerala government of “betraying” Ayyappa devotees by failing to withdraw the Supreme Court affidavit supporting women’s entry. Both parties have sought to resurrect the Sabarimala issue in the crucial Assembly election year.

Mr. Rajeeve told a news conference on Monday that “vested political interests” had obfuscated the key element in the earlier, much-vilified affidavit. “The State had requested the Supreme Court to set up a commission comprising persons with deep knowledge in Hindu religious practices and socially progressive persons of high integrity to examine the issue of women’s entry into Sabarimala before reaching a settlement. However, the Supreme Court appointed an amicus curiae”, he said. 

He said the Supreme Court has framed seven questions for the petitioners to consider. “A simple and summary withdrawal of the earlier affidavit as demanded by the Opposition will not suffice to protect devotees’ interests. For one, the petitioners, including the government, have to weigh the subtle interplay between Article 25 and Article 26 concerning women’s entry into Sabarimala as demanded by the Supreme Court”, he said. 

Mr. Rajeeve noted that Article 25 states that the right to freedom of religion is subject to public order, morality, and fundamental rights. “Article 26 sets in stone the fundamental right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs in matters of religion. These questions will come into play when the Supreme Court reviews the 2018 decision, and Kerala cannot be caught unprepared,” he said. 

‘Legal conundrums’

Mr. Rajeeve said the Sabarimala women’s entry issue posed “complex legal conundrums”, which the State would address with devotees’ interests and temple custom in mind.

He said the issue could take “a radical turn” if the Supreme Court decides that the Sabarimala tradition is an essential religious practice that must be addressed within the bounds of the religion’s doctrines, rather than by the judiciary.