NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has announced a verdict in the Sabarimala case after a judicial battle for many years. The 28-years judicial battle that got a nation-wide attention started with a photograph that was published in a newspaper in 1990. The case reached Supreme Court in 2006 and the verdict came on Friday after 12 years.

The photograph was about a first rice-feeding ceremony of the grand-daughter of the former Devaswom commissioner Chandrika conducted at the Sabarimala temple in the presence of her daughter, the mother of the child. Based on this photograph Mahendran, a native of Changanassery sent a letter to the court on 1990 september 24 which was accepted as a public interest litigation.

The high court banned entry of women to Sabarimala on 1991 April 5. The high court had clarified that women’s entry is against the rituals and constitutional rights. 15 years later, a case was lodged by young lawyers association in 2006. Kannada actress-politician Jayamala had claimed publicly that she had entered the Sabarimala temple in 1987 as a 28-year-old. The allegation led the Kerala government to probe the matter through its crime branch, but the case was later dropped.

12 years later, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. Banning entry of women to shrine is gender discrimination, said CJI Dipak Misra.