9-year-old girl Sabarimala Temple Visit Plea: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday permitted a 9-year-old girl to visit the Sabarimala temple with her father later this month.
According to ANI, the minor girl's father is going to visit the temple on August 23. The 9-year-old's lawyer told the court that the girl wants to visit the temple before turning 10 as she might not be able to do so after for more than four decades after that.
In the petition, the lawyer of the girl said, "the petitioner wishes to go to Sabarimala temple before she turns 10 years old because she may not be able to visit there for more than four decades after completing 10 years of age."
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2021
After hearing the plea, the Kerala High Court said, "We are of the considered opinion that an interim order can be issued permitting the petitioner to accompany her father to Sabarimala for darshan on August 23."
The court had passed a similar ruling in April this year when it allowed children to accompany their vaccinated persons in all activities. The Kerala state government had also allowed the same.
Earlier this month, the Ayyappa temple opened its gates for the devotees for the annual Niraputhari festival. Keeping in mind the COVID-19 restrictions, only 15,000 persons are allowed to pay visits to the temple in a single day. After the monthly pujas conclude by August 23 evening, the temple will reportedly close.
The minor girl's plea to visit the Sabarimala temple is a reminder of the 2018 row over women visiting the temple. The Supreme Court had then nullified the law that stopped women between the age of 10 to 50 from visiting the shrine. The apex court's ruling was met with massive uproar as many devotees protested against it by taking to the streets.
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