On the occasion of Gudi Padwa or Ugadi, male devotees stormed the sanctum sanctorum of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra to perform a ritual.
Following the entry into the temple premises by Trupti Desai and other women activists on April 2, the temple trust had ordered that no one will be allowed to enter the inner sanctum.
The Bombay High Court had held that entry to temples was a fundamental right of women and it was the State’s fundamental duty to protect it. On April 1, during a hearing in the Bombay High Court of a petition filed by Bal with activist Neelima Vartak over the issue of discriminatory treatment meted out to women at the temple, acting Advocate-General Rohit Deo told the division bench that the government was against any gender discrimination.
The division bench had said, “Ultimately [women worshipping in places where men worship] is the fundamental right of women, and it is [the State’s] fundamental duty to protect these rights under Articles 14 and 25 of the Constitution of India. […] and ensure that they are fully realised and are not encroached upon by any authority or individuals.”
