Sabarimala PIL – #ReadyToWait, Women Devotees Move SC 

People for Dharma, the society registered by founders and supporters  of #ReadyToWait  have filed intervention petition in Sabarimala PIL case in SC saying they are not against the traditional customs and restrictions and are ready to wait till the age when they are allowed to enter the temple that is at the age of 50.

Ready To Wait is a campaign initiated by a group of women devotees from India, explaining their willingness to respect the traditions regarding entry to the renowned Sabarimala temple located in the South Indian state of Kerala.

It started as a social media campaign, but soon went viral and garnered support from various sections of people. According to legend, Lord Ayyappa who is the main deity of the temple is a celibate and as such the shrine restricts entry to women of the reproductive age (10 to 50 yrs).

Feminists argue that this amounts to discrimination against women. But the campaigners reject such responses as immature and prejudiced saying it stems from total ignorance about the complex web of beliefs surrounding Sanatana Dharma which stresses on self realisation as the ultimate goal.

Now after a successful social media campaign which has garnered support from various parts of the country, the founders of the campaign have decided to make their voices heard in the Supreme Court.

The founders of the campaign along with their supporters, have formed a registered society named “People For Dharma” and have filed an Application for Intervention before the Supreme Court of India through the Advocate Sri. Suvidutt Sundaram. Noted litigator Shri Sai Deepak will appear for People for Dharma in this case when the court re-opens on November 7.

https://twitter.com/jsaideepak/status/791631673737801729

The campaigners in their petition have said the devotees of Lord Ayyappa are the more important stakeholders in the debate over faith and not the atheist and agnostic feminists who through their “Happy To Bleed” and “Right To Pray” campaigns are preaching about the non existing discrimination against women and are fighting the case in the Supreme Court seeking the entry of women aged between 10 to 50 years in the temple.

“By appointing themselves the champions of the rights of women devotees, what the feminist petitioners actually imply is that the devotees are incapable of fighting for themselves. That’s one kind of classism too. It is a modern version of the White Man’s Burden to civilise unwashed pagans,” said their application.

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