Kochi: A Hindu group filed a PIL Wednesday in the Kerala High Court seeking directive to the Centre for issuing an order enabling Muslim woman devotees to enter mosques.
The petitioner submitted that in the context of a recent Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple, the need of the hour is the entry of Muslim women devotees in mosques for prayers along with men.
He submitted that women were discriminated against by not allowing them to enter and pray in mosques in the main prayer hall.
The petition was filed by Swamy Dethathreya Sai Swaroop Nath, who is the state president of Akhila Bharatha Hindu Maha Sabha, Kerala unit.
"Thus, women of Muslim community were being disgraced and discriminated against which was against Article 21 and 14 of the Constitution," his plea said.
This was to be viewed in the context that Muslim women were allowed entry in Mecca, his petition said.
On September 28, in a 4:1 judgment, the apex court said the ban on women in the menstruating age group, whose presence in the Lord Ayyappa temple was considered to be 'impure', violated their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantee of equality.
Until now, only girls below 10 years and women over 50 years were allowed to visit the hilltop shrine.
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