National
Supreme Court Constitution Bench commences hearings regarding entry of women into Sabarimala
A nine-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court today commenced hearing petitions concerning alleged discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala temple, and the scope of religious freedom across faiths.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, includes Justices B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi. Ahead of the hearing, the Centre submitted written arguments urging the apex court to uphold restrictions on the entry of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple.