Breaking: Plea to end Discriminatory Religious Practices in all Religions filed in Delhi HC [Read Petition]

The historic judgment in Indian Young Lawyers Association v Union of India, in which the Supreme Court held that women cannot be denied entry into the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple regardless of age, has prompted a new plea for putting an end to religious practices contended as being similarly discriminatory in the Islamic, Christian, Hindu and Parsi faiths..Filed by Sanjiv Kumar, director of an NGO Knewmax Benevolent Foundation, the petition before the Delhi High Court directs its challenge at the following, among other, religious practices/customs:.– Bar on entry of women into the Zoroastrian Fire Temple and Temple of Silence of the Parsi faith.– Bar on entry of women into Mosques of the Islamic faith, to pray alongside men.– Bar on entry of men into women-only Hindu temples such as Attukal Temple, Chakkulathukavu Temple, Santoshi Maa ‘Vrat’, Lord Brahma Temple, Bhagati Maa Temple, Mata temple and Kamrup Kamakhya Temple.– Bar on entry of men into women-only Hindu temples in India.These restrictions are sought to be lifted, regardless of the sex, menstrual status or religion of the person seeking entry..Further, the petitioner has also argued for an end to the following restrictions:.– Restrictions on women being ordained as priests in the Parsi and Christian faiths.– Restrictions on Hindu women being ordained as Pujari / Purohit / Head of Akhara.– Restrictions on Muslim women with respect to ordainment as Imams of mosques to lead prayers (in which respect, mixed congregations ought to be allowed).– Restrictions on women on activities such as movement in all rooms of the house, prayer, fasting etc. when they are menstruating.To buttress his case, the petitioner has relied extensively on the anti-discriminatory rhetoric underlying the Sabarimala judgment, noting that the Supreme Court opined that all religious practices must be subservient to the Constitution, even if rooted in religious texts..The petition also discusses aspects of culture, religion and menstruation, as well as the purported historical basis for the challenged religious practices. Further, tweets by prominent commentators including Textiles Minister Smrithi Irani and Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, expressing views for and against changing religious customs following the Sabarimala judgment also find a place in the petition..Read the Petition: