On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of all ages into the shrine.

The top court had made several strong statements during its verdict saying that, "To treat women as lesser children of God is blinking at the Constitution". The court also made statements like,"Lord Ayappa is not a separate denomination" and "Rules based on biological characteristics will not muster constitution".