Sabarimala entry: Opinion of women should be elicited, says Union minister​ Pon Radhakrishnan

 The opinion of the women should be elicited before deciding whether women of all ages should be allowed for 'darshan' at the hill shrine of Sabarimala in Kerala, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan said on Tuesday.

Though religious freedom was guaranteed to all, certain religious rituals and customs should also not be violated, he told reporters here to a question on the Kerala government favouring the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple. "Everyone has the right to offer prayers at a temple, but when certain rituals and customs are followed, they should not be violated," Radhakrishnan said.

The opinion of the women should also be taken into consideration to decide if they should be allowed entry into the temple, he added. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala had yesterday informed the Supreme Court that it favoured the entry of women of all ages into the historic Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Swamy temple. The entry of women in the 10-50 age group is barred into the temple.