Why should the Sabarimala deity be forced to bless women of a certain age when the celibate deity does not want to see them according to traditions, the Supreme Court asked on Monday, according to The Hindu. The court was hearing a plea seeking the entry of women into the famous Kerala temple, and thus the revocation of gender discrimination in places of worship in the country.

The bench of Justices Dipak Misra, V Gopala Gowda and Kurian Joseph made this observation while senior advocate and amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran argued that such discrimination is detrimental to the dignity of women and contrary to the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. He drew their attention to the contradiction that while women aged between 10 and 55 are not allowed worship Lord Ayyappa in the Kerala temple, all women can worship the deity at any other place.

The court then asked the senior lawyer why people worship. When told that it is to please the deity and seek blessings, the apex court bench asked, “But here if the deity says ‘I don’t want to see you’, why do you compel him to see you? If the deity does not want to be pleased, why do you compel him to be pleased?” Ramachandran informed the court that the notion was just an “interpretation created by those who have managed the temple”. The hearing in the case will resume on April 22.