The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said that if men are allowed in a place of worship then women should also be permitted as no law prevents them from doing so.

The high court while underlining the need for giving equal access to women also stated that any temple or person imposing restrictions will face a six-month jail term under a Maharashtra law, and asked the government to make a statement if it is worried about the sanctity of a deity.



The observations were made by a division bench of Chief Justice DH Waghela and Justice MS Sonak during the hearing of a PIL by senior advocate Nilima Vartak and activist Vidya Bal. They challenged the prevention of women’s entry in the sanctum sanctorum of Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

