The Kerala High Court has stated that laws and regulations should serve as a unifying force between religions and communities, not create discord. The observation came while dismissing a plea against the entry of Christian priests into a Hindu temple.
The Supreme Court of India has emphasised the importance of open access to all temples and 'maths' for everyone, warning that excluding any denomination would negatively impact Hinduism and divide society. This statement was made during hearings on petitions related to discrimination against women at religious sites and the scope of religious freedom.
A nine-judge Supreme Court bench has reserved its order on petitions related to discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala temple, and the scope of religious freedom.
The Centre has supported the restriction on women of menstruating age entering Kerala's Sabarimala temple, arguing that the Supreme Court's 2018 judgement assumes male superiority.
The Supreme Court questioned the chief priest of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple regarding the constitutionality of preventing believers from touching the deity, during hearings on discrimination against women at religious sites.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), managing the Sabarimala temple, argued in the Supreme Court that religious beliefs should be judged subjectively by the community, as the court hears petitions related to discrimination against women at religious places.
The Shabari story in the Ramayana found mention before a nine-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday while hearing petitions related to discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that the restriction on women of menstruating age entering Kerala's Sabarimala temple is a matter of religious faith and denominational autonomy, falling outside the purview of judicial review. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that courts should not apply 'secular standards of reason' to religious practices.
The Supreme Court of India has asserted its jurisdiction to determine what constitutes a superstitious practice within a religion, during a hearing on petitions related to discrimination against women at religious sites.
The Supreme Court of India questioned the Centre regarding the eligibility of non-devotees to challenge the customs of the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, during a hearing on religious freedom and discrimination against women at religious sites.
The Supreme Court has announced that a nine-judge bench will begin final hearings on petitions related to discrimination against women in religions, including the Sabarimala Temple case, starting April 7.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra framed several questions to be dealt with by the Constitution Bench, including whether the temple can restrict women's entry.
Indian Young Lawyers Association and a group of women lawyers have filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Kerala government and the head priest of Sabarimala temple to ensure that women devotees are not denied entry.
The Deepa Thoon controversy, if not allowed to die a natural death, could take the election focus away from the anti-incumbency impacting the DMK and into the secular space. Stalin would love to have it that way, all over again, after the three past elections, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Many in the social media have questioned his motive, while others have said he was doing it just for publicity and some said it was just superstition.
What should be made out of the Madras high court order involving non-Hindus' entry into Hindu temples, when many non-Hindus are among the hundreds of thousands that have been worshipping at these temples for generations, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
The state govt said that celibate status of deity cannot be a ground for barring entry of women.
The apex court said banning entry of women to Kerala's Sabrimala temple is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women.
Over the last five days, Modi visited all of south, held roadshows, made an aggressive bid for his party, and took on the rivals with full gusto, especially the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana that was in power for 10 years.
While Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan questioned 'the haste shown' in reopening the temples, state Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the decision was only in line with the Centre's guidelines in allowing places of worship to permit entry of devotees.
A special quiz to mark the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
But the 'tantri family' will accept it, Sabarimala head priest Kandararu Rajeevarau said.
'Reluctance to go against temple rituals is understandable and the Hindu vote bank is extremely important at the ensuing elections.' 'But even the devout Hindus will not hold it against the government if the opportunity presented by the tragedy is utilised at least for a temporary ban.' 'Later, it may be too late as it might dawn on people that a hundred lives are not too much of a sacrifice to save a tradition,' says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'Our study finds that only about 20% of Indians are vegetarians and the rest of the 80% are non-vegetarians or meat-eaters.'
'Hindu voters in coastal Karnataka lean more towards Hindutva than Hinduism which explains why the Siddaramaiah government's perception as anti-Hindu worked wonders for the BJP in coastal Karnataka.'
Several states declared a holiday for schools, while government offices, other establishments and public sector banks remained closed for half a day.
'We know a day will come very soon when people will realise our fight was for the environment and not against the nation.'
In Jammu and Kashmir, Eid prayers passed off peacefully and there was no report of any untoward incident, the police said.
'Art has no religion. An artist is an artist.'
'Nowhere in the country, except perhaps Jammu and Kashmir, do extremist groups enjoy political patronage as they do in Kerala. Terrorists are exported from Kerala to Afghanistan, Syria.'
Ahead of CJI Dipak Misra's final day as the head of the judiciary of India, here's a look at the key judgments that he was a part of.
'Hinduism is the mother of all religions; communal hatred should not be spread in its name.'
Hindu women devotees are not relieved but distressed by this judgment. If so, who exactly did the Supreme Court provide relief to? Who is celebrating this judgment, asks Sankrant Sanu.
Asserting that it would decide on the right of women to enter the historic Sabarimala shrine on the basis of constitutional principles.
'The Sabarimala issue is no longer in splendid isolation.'
The Tamil Nadu chief minister may have opened a Pandora's Box on the religion front with the appointment of qualified non-Brahmin temple priests, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'It made me sad that these people had to spend a minimum of 20 dirhams from the meagre 800 dirhams they get, to pray.' 'God had helped me many times in my life, it was my duty to help these people.' The incredible story of Saji Cherian.
You'd wonder what madness seized Rahul that he has decided to play to the BJP's strengths, says Shekhar Gupta.
Trupti Desai's fight earned women the right to enter the inner sanctums of the Shani Shingnapur Temple, the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple and the Haji Ali Dargah. Her next target is Sabarimala in Kerala. Aditi Phadnis reports.
'In the last one year, it looks like there were bad things that didn't take place, and there were good things that didn't take place,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
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