Sabarimala women entry case: Supreme Court forms nine-judge bench for hearing on 7 April

The Supreme Court of India is about to begin hearings in the long-pending Sabarimala temple entry case, along with a series of related cases.

The nine-judge Constitution Bench's proceedings are expected to review major questions related to essential religious practices, equality, and constitutional morality, according to an ANI report.

The apex Court scheduled hearings to start at 10:30 am on 7 April. Review sessions for petitioners and supporting parties will take place from April 7 to 9 April, followed by the original writ petitioners from 14 to 16 April. Rejoinders, if any, are set for 22 April.

"The nodal counsels in consultation with arguing counsel of the parties shall prepare the internal arrangement so that oral submissions from both sides can be heard within the stipulated timeline", the news portal quoted the apex Court.

Speaking on the hearing date, Advocate Usha Nandani told ANI, "The date has been fixed, and from 7 April onwards, the hearing will be going on. They will constitute a nine-judge bench, and the hearing will start. There are some other matters also, not only the temple matter, but some other matters are also there."

The Union of India supports the review petitions, effectively contesting the 2018 ruling, while the original writ petitioners aim to uphold it, the report said.

What is the case about?

The case dates back to 2018, when a Constitution Bench allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, overturning the long-standing tradition that prohibited women aged 10 to 50 from entering.

On 10 February 2020, a nine-judge Bench upheld the decisions of the Sabarimala Review Bench to refer broader constitutional questions to a larger forum.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said the Sabarimala matter is currently limited to the constitution of a new Bench. Speaking to reporters, Rajeev was quoted in the report saying, "Earlier, the direction on the review petition was to constitute a constitution bench to review the earlier verdict. This is only an opportunity to constitute a new constitutional bench to review the existing verdict. After that, we can discuss what is to be done on the basis of the directions of the Supreme Court."