Shani Temple Trust Revises Stand, Grants Entry to Men and Women

The temple trust revised its stand after over a 100 men stormed the inner sanctum area on Friday morning.

File photo of Trupti Desai with the locals. (Photo: PTI)

In a historic decision, the Shani Shingnapur Temple Trust has decided to throw open its doors to women from Friday, a trustee announced in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

Trustee Shalini Lande informed media persons about the decision on behalf of the temple trust.

The step was immediately welcomed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and women’s group Bhumata Ranragini Brigade that was agitating for it for four months.

Women were prohibited to worship in the temple earlier.

Over 100 male devotees stormed into the inner sanctum of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra on Friday morning. After a brief meeting, temple officials decided to allow both men and women to enter the area for prayers.

The men storming the area was in direct violation of the temple trust’s stand that neither men nor women will be allowed in the inner sanctum area. The decision by temple officials was taken over the weekend.

Bombay High Court had recently directed the Maharashtra government to take pro-active steps for ensuring compliance with the law to prevent discrimination against women. The high court made the observations after it ruled that women cannot be discriminated against when it comes to entering places of worship.

However, a day after that observation was made, activist Trupti Desai was detained by the police when she and 25 other women activists tried to enter the temple.