India's Supreme Court announced Monday that there is no "constitutional basis" for banning women from Kerala's Sabarimala temple. Currently, the Sabarimala temple doesn't allow women of "reproductive age," defined as ages 10-50, from entering the temple, BBC News explains. Menstruating women are often seen as "unclean," so a number of temples ban women during their periods. But the Sabarimala temple bans women entirely.
The judges will hear the case for allowing women to worship in the Hindu temple on February 8. The case was filed by the Young Lawyers Association.
In November, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, the Sabarimala temple chief, told reporters that women could enter the temple if there were a machine to confirm that they weren't menstruating. Female students in India then started a campaign, "Happy to Bleed," to protest Gopalakrishnan's statements. The campaign hopes to destigmatize menstruation among Hindu women.
The Sabarimala temple is in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The temple is on a hilltop, and many pilgrims journey to worship there.
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