A deity in a temple does not have constitutional rights, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud wrote in his separate opinion.
Fundamental rights are meant for individuals, not deities or idols.
Justice Chandrachud was countering arguments that the right to preserve the celibacy of the deity in the Sabarimala temple is a “protected constitutional right”. This constitutional right of the deity extends to excluding women from entering and praying at the temple.
Justice Chandrachud observed that the law recognises an idol or deity as a “juristic person which can own property and can sue and be sued in the court of law”. But it “does not mean the deity necessarily has constitutional rights”, the judge observed. On the other hand, the exclusion of women from the Sabarimala temple effects both the religious and civic rights of an individual.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/deity-has-no-fundamental-rights-judge/article25076096.ece
