Sabarimala effect: Hope to have woman priest for Shani Shingnapur Temple, says Trupti Desai

A women's group that has been leading the fight for equal rights for both genders in religious places welcomed the Supreme Court observation on Sabarimala Temple, with some stating they now want to have a woman head for the trust that runs Shani Shingnapur Temple, and also a woman chief priest.

"It was heartening to hear the SC observation. The court is right in saying that temples are public places, not private property. Some trustees have been doing dadagiri for too long," said Trupti Desai, who led the fight for women's entry into Shani Shingnapur temple.

The state government recently said it would take over the trust. "We will now demand that the trust be headed by a woman. We also look forward to having a woman priest," said Desai.

She said the observation on Sabarimala did not come as a surprise. "We are confident the final verdict will favour women. The SC is a conscience-keeper amid so much politics and patriarchy. It is playing its constitutional role where the society and lawmakers are failing. All this got triggered after the Delhi rape. There has been a positive development in the country," said Zakia Soman, convenor of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. Praising the SC for weighing the issue as a matter of gender rights, Soman said: "There was the Haji Ali precedent for them."