Sabarimala Temple case: Can we expect a believer to follow any age-old practice in the modern era, asks SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (April 21, 2026) asked the Sabarimala tantri (chief priest) if a believer can be expected to shed his sense of rationality and believe any age-old religious practice in an era of advanced education and technology.

The question came during the hearing of the Sabarimala review case by a nine-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant in the backdrop of the exclusion of menstruating women from the temple in Kerala.