Women should have equal access to places of worship, says Bombay HC

In the midst row over women entry ban on Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra, The Bombay High Court on Wednesday observed that women should have equal access to places of worship.

The court said, "There is no law, which prevents women for having equal access from entering a temple. If men are allowed then women should also be allowed."

The observation came while hearing a public interest litigation challenging the century-old tradition of prohibiting entry of women inside the core shrine area of Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra.

The PIL was filed by two women activists Vidya Bal and Nilima Varta. They sought government's intervention to allow women worshipers to enter not just inside the temple but also in the sanctum sanctorum.

For the last couple of month activist Trupti Desai of Bhumata Brigade is demanding to an end to a centuries-old ban on women's entry into the inner-most part of the temple, where the idol of Lord Shani is placed on an open-air platform.

On January 27, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the women activists and assured that he will look in to the matter.

Soon after the meeting with CM, Desai had claimed that Fadnavis supported their demand.