A 12-year-old from Puducherry, who had accompanied her father for a visit to the Sabarimala temple, was stopped a few kilometres from the shrine and not allowed to proceed after police checked her Aadhaar card for her age.

The girl was the latest among at least a dozen who have been turned back since the temple to Lord Ayyappa reopened on Saturday.

Earlier last week, on Thursday, a five-judge bench had referred to a bigger bench the question whether women of childbearing age could enter the temple in Kerala, although it did not stay last year’s verdict that had lifted the centuries-old ban on women between 10 and 50.

On Tuesday morning, women police officials checked the girl’s Aadhaar card when she reached the Pamba base camp, about 5km from the shrine, with “irrumudikettu” (offerings to the deity).

The girl’s age had been shown as 10 in the online booking. Her father and other relatives later proceeded to the temple after those accompanying the child were informed about the current situation in Sabarimala.

A cautious Kerala government has refused to allow visits by women of childbearing age since Thursday’s ruling.