Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Sept 29 (ANI): The Shiv Sena on Saturday has called for a statewide strike in Kerala on October 1 following the Supreme Court's verdict lifting restrictions on the entry of women of all ages in the Sabarimala temple.

Shiv Sena, in the wake of this verdict, has called for a 12-hour bandh in the state on Monday.

The Supreme Court on Friday removed an age-old ban that prevented women aged between 10 and 50 from the entering the temple.

While pronouncing the order, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra said that the ban on women from entering the temple violated the constitutional principles of the country. He further said that the rights of women should be no lesser than their male counterparts, and devotion cannot be subjected to gender discrimination.

The Sabarimala temple, located in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, is dedicated to the Hindu deity Ayyappan. The temple management considers the deity to be eternal celibate which debarred women from entering the temple. (ANI)