India's Supreme Court Revisits Sabarimala Temple Ruling

0:00It's April 7th. Welcome to Global News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the Story. India's Supreme Court just kicked off hearings on petitions, challenging the 2018 ruling that let women of menstruating age enter the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. That famous Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Ayapa draws millions of pilgrims yearly but long-band women age 10 to 50 based on traditions. During menstruation as unclean, the original decision called the ban discriminatory and unconstitutional, opening the doors to equal religious rights. Now a nine-judge binge led by Chief Justice Surya Khan is diving deeper, folding in cases from other fates like Parsifire Temple's barring non-parsie, wives, mosque entry restrictions, religious excommunications, and even female genital mutilation in the Dehwiti-Bohra community. Back in 2018, the verdict sparked huge protests across Kerala women trying to visit got

1:00turned away or attacked, fueling review petitions, as snowballed into this bigger review. Delays hit hard, a seven-judge binge in 2019 expanded the scope, then a nine-judge one in 2020 stalled from the pandemic. This fresh lineup mixes judges from diverse space, cast, regions, and genders, including Justice B.V. Nagarathna, who's set to be Chief Justice next year. Hearings wrapped by April 22nd, and experts say the outcome could reshape women's access to worship sites nationwide, balancing faith traditions, with constitutional rights for generations ahead.