The Shri Trimbakeshwar Devasthan Trust (STDT) passed a resolution on Sunday barring all persons except the traditional and hereditary priests from entering the sanctum till the next decision. Reacting to this, the president of Rangragini Bhumata Brigade, Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the agitation for equal access for women in all temples, said, “We were told that the bar on entrance was for a fortnight after which women would be allowed too. If the trust intends to use this excuse to bar women forever, we will have to start our agitation again in Trimbakeshwar till they relent and implement the HC order in letter and spirit.”
Ms Desai has also threatened to file a contempt of court case against chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the state government, a day after being denied entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Shani Shinganapur temple.
“It was the CM who, in January, had extended his support to our cause but he failed to protect us yesterday. Now we have already given a complaint to Supa police station against the police (who failed to protect women activists yesterday), local administration and trustees and demanded that a contempt of court case should be filed against CM and Maharashtra government,” said Ms Desai.
The high court, in a recent ruling had directed that women could not be barred from entering temples. The chief minister also stated in Nashik on Sunday that Sanatan Hindu tradition does not discriminate on the basis of caste and gender.
Before the HC ruling, Bhumata Brigade had taken a militant stance of taking darshan from the sanctum, which is traditionally the prerogative of only men. She tried to enter Shani Shingnapur in Ahmednagar and Trimbakeshwar in Nashik but was stopped by police, even after the HC order.
STDT trustee advocate Shrikant Gaidhani told The Asian Age that the Trust honours the high court and respects women. The decision to close entry to the sanctum to men as well as women was taken due to its delicate nature and small size of 10 x10 feet, he said.
“We have received letters from the Archaeological Survey of India concerning the condition of the sanctum and the condition of the idols inside,” he said. “Only the traditional and hereditary priests that include the Tungar family and three other priests and their assistants can go inside. The entrance will be barred for all others — men and women till the next decision-", he said.
