Maneka Gandhi welcomes Sabarimala verdict

New Delhi, Sep 28 :  Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict to open the gates of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala to women of all ages, saying that temples cannot be run like clubs.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court ruled that preventing women in the 10-50 age group from visiting the temple was violative of their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantees.

"It is ridiculous that God is for one and not for the other. He has to be for all. After all, it is a temple not a Gymkhana Club, which dictates on who can enter and who cannot," the Minister told the media here. 

"Some people have turned temples into clubs. This judgment is to turn those clubs back to temples," she added.