Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it will hear on November 13 the petitions seeking a review of its earlier verdict that allowed entry of women of all age groups in Sabarimala Temple.
On Monday, a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul said the bench-led by former Chief Justice Dipak Misra that pronounced the landmark verdict on September 28 has to be reconstituted. A five-judge constitution bench by a ratio of 4:1 had held that women of all age groups should be allowed entry inside Kerala's Sabarimala Temple. A review petition is normally considered by the judges of the same bench that had delivered the verdict.
Here are the latest developments:
- There are 19 petitions before the top court seeking the recall of the verdict that had junked the centuries old practice prohibiting the entry of women who are in menstruating age.
- A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul considered the submissions of lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara that his petition seeking review of the constitutional bench judgment be listed for urgent hearing.
- "We know that there are 19 review petitions pending. By tomorrow we will decide," the bench said on Monday.
- The petition filed by Shylaja Vijayan, president, National Ayyappa Devotees Association, had submitted that, "Faith cannot be judged by scientific or rationale reasons or logic".
- Besides the Association, another petition seeking review of the September 28 verdict of the apex court had also been filed by the Nair Service Society (NSS), an organisation for the uplift and welfare of the Nair community.
- It had said that as the deity is a 'Naistika Brahmachari, females below the age of 10 and after the age of 50 years are eligible to worship.
- The court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing.
(With inputs from agencies)
