The Union government has urged the Supreme Court to uphold restrictions on the entry of women of menstruating age into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, arguing that the matter concerns religious faith and denominational autonomy rather than constitutional scrutiny.

In submissions placed before the court on Monday (April 6), the Centre contended that judicial intervention in such questions would amount to interference in essential religious practices, reported Hindustan Times.

The issue arises from the landmark September 2018 judgment in which a five-judge Constitution Bench had held that prohibiting women in their “menstruating years” from entering the Sabarimala shrine was ultra vires the Constitution and ruled that women of all ages must be allowed entry.

The Supreme Court earlier, on April 4, notified the constitution of a nine-judge bench to hear the long-pending review petitions related to the Sabarimala verdict.

The bench will be headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and include Justices BV Nagarathna, MM Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, AG Masih, R Mahadevan, Prasanna B Varale and Joymalya Bagchi.

In its written submissions filed through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Union government supported the review petitions challenging the 2018 ruling.

It argued that determining who may enter a place of worship forms part of religious practice and the distinct character attributed to the deity, and should not automatically be treated as a question of gender discrimination, reported Hindustan Times.

The Centre also cautioned the Constitution Bench against evaluating religious traditions using standards such as “rationality,” “modernity,” or “scientific defensibility,” maintaining that such tests fall outside the proper limits of judicial review.

The upcoming hearings before the nine-judge bench are expected to revisit broader constitutional questions concerning religious freedom, equality and the extent of court intervention in matters of faith.