Kerala HC dismisses 10-year-old girl's plea seeking entry to Sabarimala
A division bench of the Kerala High Court, comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice Harisankar V Menon, dismissed a petition filed by 10-year-old girl from Karnataka who sought permission to enter Sabarimala temple.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court dismissed the petition filed by a 10-year-old girl seeking permission for the Sabarimala pilgrimage on Wednesday (June 12). A division bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed the girl's plea, stating that because the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, the petitioner cannot invoke the writ jurisdiction of the High Court.
The bench, comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice Harisankar V Menon, issued the order on a petition filed by 10-year-old Snigdha Sreenath from Bengaluru North, Karnataka. The petitioner sought permission to visit Sabarimala without being subject to the upper age qualification, and a declaration that she is entitled to undertake a pilgrimage to the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple during the mandala pooja-makaravilakku season. She argued that she had not yet attained puberty, and therefore, there should be no bar on her pilgrimage to Sabarimala.
The petitioner stated that her pilgrimage was delayed due to the pandemic, resulting in financial difficulties, and her father's poor health. Although her father had applied for the pilgrimage online, the application was rejected because the petitioner had crossed the upper age limit of 10. Her father then submitted a representation dated November 22, 2023, to the Travancore Devaswom Board seeking permission for the pilgrimage.