New Delhi • A group of lady lawyers have filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Kerala government to lift the age-old ban on women devotees entering Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala in the state.

In their PIL filed through counsel Ravi Prakash Gupta, six lady lawyers belonging to Indian Young Lawyers’ Association, contended that the custom restricting entry of women aged between 10 and 50 to the temple was violative of their constitutional rights, including the right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. Quoting recent news reports on the practice, they further challenged the validity of provisions of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965 giving legality to the ban.

Terming the practice as a “socio-religious malady”, they expressed “surprise” that the practice was carried on by the state through a statutory board and related to a place of worship partially funded by public money as the state gave Rs8 lakh to the Temple Board per annum.

The PIL urged the court to quash the relevant legal provisions under the 1965 Act supporting the practice as being violative of the Constitution.

Petitioners Bhakti Pasrija, Laxmi Shastiri, Prerna Kumari, Alka Sharma and Sudha Pal urged the court to direct the state to deploy adequate police force to ensure the safety of women pilgrims at the temple and also to lay down judicial guidelines to stop gender inequality in places of worship. Those impleaded as parties to the PIL are — Kerala Government, Dewaswom Board of Travancore and Chief Thanthri (main priest) of Sabarimala Temple.