The Sabarimala temple women's entry issue has resurfaced in Kerala, leading to a political debate between the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress, as the Supreme Court is scheduled to consider review petitions related to its 2018 verdict.
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.
An SIT investigating the Sabarimala gold loss case has questioned former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. The interrogation has sparked political controversy, with opposition parties alleging interference in the investigation.
The Kerala High Court has directed the state police to register a criminal case and launch an investigation into the misappropriation of gold from a shrine's side frames or lintels.
The Kerala High Court denied bail to former TDB president N Vasu and others accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case, citing laxity in the investigation and potential impediment to the probe if bail is granted.
President Droupadi Murmu will visit the Sabarimala temple on October 22. The Kerala High Court has granted permission for the VVIP convoy movement, and security rehearsals are underway.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing gold from the Sabarimala temple arrested former administrative officer B Murari Babu. He is accused in cases related to the disappearance of gold from the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil of the temple.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple searched the residence of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty. The search was part of an ongoing investigation to find documents and digital devices. Potty is currently being interrogated at the Crime Branch office.
A controversy surrounding the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala temple has ignited a political row in Kerala, with opposition parties alleging theft and demanding a comprehensive investigation into temple inventories and the role of a sponsor in the replating process.
The Supreme Court has refused to entertain pleas against the Kerala High Court order dismissing petitions challenging the Travancore Devaswom Board's decision to conduct a global conclave of Ayyappa devotees.
Devotees have begun their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha temple in Pathanamthitta, Kerala.
After several women were prevented from entering the Sabarimala shrine after the Supreme Court verdict upheld their right to do so, Bindu and Kanakadurga managed the seemingly impossible. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com finds out how they did it.
Since the temple opened at least 13 women have attempted to enter the shrine, but fallen short despite their valiant attempts.
'Considering menstruating women impure is a Dravidian custom and is associated with the worship of nature by the tribal people'
'It is wrong to assume that it is only after 1991 that we started following this ritual.' 'Ayyappan himself instructed where the temple had to be built, the rituals that had to followed and the route that had to be taken by devotees to the temple.'
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Nariman has warned that events similar to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre could occur if the 'basic structure' doctrine of the Constitution is diluted. In his new book, 'The Basic Structure Doctrine: Protector of Constitutional Integrity,' Nariman argues that the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati judgment, which established the doctrine, is essential for protecting fundamental rights and preventing constitutional amendments that could lead to such tragedies. Nariman's concerns are echoed by Supreme Court judge Justice K V Viswanathan, who applauds the book for its "chilling clarity" and underscores the importance of the Kesavananda Bharati ruling. The book provides a detailed analysis of the doctrine and its implications, highlighting the robustness of the Kesavananda Bharati judgment and the lack of a compelling alternative theory.
The famous Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, opened for the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, is all set to receive more pilgrims now with the Kerala government deciding to allow more devotees for darshan by adhering to Covid-19 protocols.
Sabarimala Temple Timings for 2003-2004
However, the number of persons accompanying the VIPs would be restricted.
"The temple cannot prohibit entry (women), except on the basis of religion. Unless you have a constitutional right, you cannot prohibit entry. Anyway, we will examine it on February 8," a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said.
The apex court said banning entry of women to Kerala's Sabrimala temple is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women.
The apex court had on Tuesday agreed to hear on January 22 in open court the pleas seeking review of its verdict but refused to stay its judgment.
"The right to enter a temple is not dependent on a legislation. It is the constitutional right," the bench said.
Devotees thronged temples across the country praying for a healthy, happy and wonderful 2023.
The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its verdict on whether to refer the matters pertaining to the ban on entry of women aged between 10 to 50 years at Kerala's Sabrimala temple to its constitution bench.
Lawyers flooded the courtroom of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud to witness the proceedings as one special guest -- Aamir Khan -- was seated in the front row.
This is the third time the temple is opening after the court verdict, though no girl or woman in the previously banned age group could offer prayers so far following stiff resistance by devotees and activists, opposing any change in the temple traditions. The apex court on September 28 lifted the age-old ban on entry of girls and women in the 10-50 age group.
The Lord Ayyappa shrine will re-open for the two-month-long Madala-Makkarvilakku puja on Saturday.
The Travancore Devaswom Board, the apex temple body which manages the shrine, on Tuesday said a portion of the gold-plated roof would be opened on August 3 to take stock of the leak.
Temple Melshanthi N Parameswaran Namboothiri opened the Sabarimala temple under the Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru for Mandala-Makaravilak Pilgrimage on Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
He could have blazed a trail that few Indian judges had. It was a missed opportunity of a lifetime, notes Ramesh Menon.
In a purported video which surfaced on social media, the accused man, reportedly a Tamil Nadu native, could be seen sitting on a platform atop the Ponnambalamedu Hills, located about four km from the Sabarimala temple, and chanting mantras and doing some rituals.
The specter of how the Munambam issue was exploited during the November by-elections is proof of the price Kerala is paying for its emergent politics. Controversies become the stuff of slow-burn and brinkmanship. The former promises mileage; the latter searches for an advantage, notes Shyam G Menon.
Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has reacted to Andhra Pradesh counterpart Pawan Kalyan's out-of-turn taunts with a one-liner, 'Let's wait', and thereby hangs a tale, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Ram Charan has left for the US to join M M Keeravaani for the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles on March 12.
The Kerala government has made it clear that it would not provide security to any woman of menstruating age visiting the shrine, as per Devaswom Board Minister K Surendran.
Sabarimala Karma Samithi on Tuesday organised a protest march to the Palarivattom BSNL office, seeking her expulsion.
A 30-year-old woman was arrested in Sabarimala on Sunday when she attempted to gatecrash into the Sabarimala hill shrine, defying the ban on the entry of women under the 10-50 age group, in the temple. The woman, later identified as Shelvi from Puducherry, managed to reach the front yard of the shrine by climbing the 18 holy steps before the police noticed her.
The SC issued a notice informing listing of petition filed by Indian Young Lawyers Association seeking review of its 2018 judgment. The bench will also look at other contentious issues of alleged discrimination against Muslim and Parsi women.
The police, which took the women to safety, said that the duo informed the security forces that they came to Sabarimala without knowing the customs of the temple.
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