Just days after the Shani Shingnapur temple finally allowed women into its inner sanctum, Shankaracharya Swaroopanand has weighed in with what has to be the most ridiculous reaction to this historic event. He said that allowing women into a shrine devoted to Lord Shani (Saturn) will increase rapes.

The Shankaracharya’s comment ranks right up there with the most sexist bilge that has been thrown at women, by leaders of all persuasions, from politicians to activists and, of course, religious leaders too. The 94-year-old buttressed his statement by adding that with Shani’s eyes would now fall on women worshipping him and this would result in increase of rapes. And yet, the number of reported rape cases in India has been rising steadily over the past decade, even though Shani’s eyes have been ‘averted’ from women who did not have access to the sanctum sanctorum. Maybe, the Shankaracharya can explain this.