A transgender person has moved the Kerala High Court against the denial of entry to the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, saying that it disrupted her religious pilgrimage. She contended that in the absence of any lawful restraint, no devotee should be arbitrarily denied entry at the temple.
A Division Bench of Justice P. Gopinath and Justice S. Manu sought responses from the State, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), and the Pathanamthitta District Collector in the petition filed by the devotee, Sathyashri Sharmila Rehemathali.
She contended that there were no valid statutory provisions, executive orders, or notified rules that authorised such exclusion, nor any informal restrictions enforced by the police or temple authorities on the entry of transgender persons.
Ms. Rehemathali had also filed representations before the TDB and Chief Secretary raising her concerns. The TDB contended that it could not interfere in the matter of women’s entry to the temple as it is pending before the Supreme Court.
The incident
According to the petition, the petitioner was stopped during a police inspection near the Pamba Ganapathy Temple on August 20 and was told that she would not be permitted to proceed to Sabarimala temple. The inspector and sub-inspector of the Pamba police station informed her that the TDB had instructed the police not to permit transgender persons to Sabarimala.
She informed the court that she had completed her pilgrimage to the temple twice before in January and April, 2026.
When Ms. Rehemathali asked the officers to furnish a written order or circular stating the ban on entry of transgender persons, the police allegedly stated that such documents could not be shown to her as an individual.
The petition sought permission to visit the temple on Thiruvonam, August 26, as Ms. Rehemathali was continuing her ritualistic fast as per temple rituals, and to allow the entry of transgender persons having valid identification.
It also sought directions to the State to take appropriate action if the officials were found to have discriminated against the petitioner, in violation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
