SABARIMALA TEMPLE VERDICT: BRIEF TIMELINE OF THE CASE

It was a much awaited day today, as the Supreme Court was to announce the verdict on a review petition against its order allowing the entry of women in Sabarimala temple.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi along with other members of the bench- justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra will announce the verdict. 

All the five judges had heard the pleas in an open court and reserved its decision after hearing the parties on both sides. The apex court will review 65 petitions including 56 review petitions and four fresh writ petitions and five transfer pleas. 

Looking at the chronology of events in the Sabrimala Temple entry case; below is the history in brief. 

-1990: A petition was filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on entry of women inside the Sabarimala temple.

-1991: The Kerala High Court had upheld the restriction of women of certain age (10 to 50 years) entry inside the holy shrine of Lord Ayyappa.

-2006: A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by the Indian Young Lawyers Association seeking entry of women between 10 to 50 years.-2008: The matter was referred to a three-judge bench two years later.

-January 2016: The court had questioned the ban, saying this cannot be done under the Constitution.

-April 2016: The United Democratic Front government of Kerala led by Chief Minister Oomen Chandy informed the SC that it is bound to protect the right to practice the religion of Sabarimala devotees.

-November, 2016: The Kerala Government had told the Supreme Court that it was in favour of allowing women inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

-By 2017: The Supreme Court referred the case to the Constitution bench.

- 2018: The apex court by a majority verdict of 4:1, on September 28, 2018, lifted the ban that prevented women and girls from entering the famous Ayyappa shrine.

Following which, the court declared the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional.