Sabarimala row: Rajinikanth says there should be no interference in temple traditions

Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth on Saturday asserted that there should be no interference in temple traditions being followed for a long time.

Speaking to the reporters, Rajinikanth said that there was no second opinion on equality for women in every sphere. “But when you talk about a temple, every temple has its time-honoured rituals, besides traditions being followed for a long time. My humble opinion is that no one should interfere in that,” he added.

He further noted that the verdict of Supreme Court should be respected. However, in the end, he also indicated that caution should be exercised when it came to matters of religion and related rituals.

Notably, this was Rajinikanth’s first response to the recent Supreme Court order on the entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala and the subsequent protests.

Kerala has been witnessing massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple since the government decided to implement the Supreme Court order.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.

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