The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) on Monday passed a resolution opposing the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 at the Sabarimala temple, going against the 2018 Supreme Court that allowed their entry. The Board is set to file an affidavit in the apex court before March 14.

Speaking to the media, TDB President K Jayakumar said the resolution was adopted after a meeting of Board officials. The Supreme Court had directed the Kerala government to submit its stand by March 14. A nine-judge Constitution Bench is set to be constituted to hear a batch of petitions relating to alleged discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala temple.

Jayakumar said the Board had discussed the matter in detail and there was no confusion regarding its stand, which is based on the rules and customs followed since the Travancore era.

"The Devasom Board has only one stand, to protect the existing temple customs and rituals," he said, adding that the Board would clearly present its position before the court.

He further stated that the Board would not support any verdict that goes against the prevailing practices and would continue to safeguard the traditional customs currently in place. The Board has maintained the same position on the issue earlier as well, he added.

The judgment copy of the five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, which had referred the Sabarimala review and writ petitions to a seven-judge bench in 2019, cites that the Travancore Devaswom Board, in the initial round of hearing, had opposed the public interest writ petitions that were filed in the court seeking entry of women aged between 10 and 50 to Sabarimala.

However, after the judgment allowing women's entry was delivered by the Constitution Bench in 2018, Rakesh Dwivedi, Senior Advocate appearing on behalf of the Board, appeared before the court and opposed the review petitions that were filed in the Supreme Court, stating that the Board had decided to accept the Court’s judgment. 

Earlier, the TDB had submitted that it was the duty of the Board under Section 31 of the Travancore - Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act,1950, to administer the temple in accordance with the custom and usage of the temple.

TDB counsel AM Singhvi had submitted that a practice started in hoary antiquity, and continued since time immemorial without interruption, becomes a usage and custom and presented an illustrative list of various religious institutions where restrictions on the entry of both men and women exist on the basis of religious beliefs and practices being followed since time immemorial.

The practice of excluding women between the age group of ten and fifty from the Sabarimala temple was constitutional and valid, TDB counsel had told the court. 

Responding to the TDB's decision, Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan said that the government will take an appropriate decision on the affidavit to be filed in the SC.