It was an extraordinary act of defiance, from two ordinary women who have since been forced into hiding. On January 2, Bindu Ammini, a 40-year-old law lecturer, and Kanakadurga, a 39-year-old local government employee, made history when they entered India's Sabarimala Hindu temple in southern Kerala state -- the first women to do so since the country's top court scrapped a rule barring the entry of girls and women of child-bearing age.
A 4-to-1 majority of Supreme Court judges said the rule was unconstitutional, setting off what has become an increasingly fractious national debate about gender, religion and the limits of the law. Several other women have attempted to enter the temple since the ruling. But they've been blocked by angry mobs.
A 4-to-1 majority of Supreme Court judges said the rule was unconstitutional, setting off what has become an increasingly fractious national debate about gender, religion and the limits of the law. Several other women have attempted to enter the temple since the ruling. But they've been blocked by angry mobs.
