J. Sai Deepak

J. Sai Deepak Iyer[4][5][6] hails from a Tamil Brahmin family,[7] and grew up in Hyderabad.[8] Deepak graduated from Anna University with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2006, and pursued an L.L.B. in intellectual property law from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

In 2009, he joined Saikrishna & Associates. He rose to associate partner, before leaving the firm to practice independently.[9][10] In 2016, he represented Madhya Pradesh before the Delhi High Court in its challenge to the cessation of supply of Basmati breeder seeds from the central government.[11]

In September 2018, a five judge panel of the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in Indian Young Lawyers Association v. The State of Kerala. It ruled that all pilgrims ,regardless of their biological gender, including menstruating women, should be allowed to enter Sabarimala.[12] Previously, women between the ages of 10 to 50 were not allowed to enter.[13]

Representing People for Dharma, J. Sai Deepak argued that women should not be permitted entry since the deity must be considered to be a person, entitled to the right to privacy. He submitted that since the deity was naisthika brahmachari (eternal celibate), women should continue to be restricted.[14][15] In an interview with Firstpost regarding the case, he stated,

"It is the will of the deity that is being preserved by the temple through the traditions it observes, which is effectively the object of Article 26. Finally, the deity has the right to follow his dharma like any other person under Article 25(1) and the state is duty-bound to protect his faith. In light of this, clearly the petitioners' rights under Article 25(1) cannot prevail over the deity's rights. In fact, they must be necessarily subservient to the rights of the deity."[16]

Although the Supreme Court rejected these arguments and made a majority verdict against it, Deepak gained widespread prominence among those who wanted to preserve the tradition.