The decision by the authorities of Mumbai's iconic Haji Ali dargah -- to bar the entry of women into the tomb area has drawn widespread condemnation.
Could the Haji Ali dargah verdict be the beginning of the end of all social discrimination -- against women, against Dalits, the low castes and the caste-less, asks Durba Dhyani.
On Friday, the Bombay high court reversing the ban imposed on women entering the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai said, "The ban is contrary to articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the dargah on par with men." The news brought much cheer and joy to petitioner Zakia Soman who is also the founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. Zakia spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf on what made this verdict historic and how it will bring about a change in the future.
The fall was led by banking stocks, with IndusInd Bank, Kotak Bank, Federal Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and SBI declining up to 2.36 per cent.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Calcutta high court order which had banned the entry of devotees into the sanctum sanctorum of the famed Kalighat temple in Kolkata.
After worshipping at the Sri Ranganayaka Mandapam, the vice president-elect was honoured with the sacred silk cloth and holy prasadams by the management of the shrine.
Sasikala, said she was not allowed to undertake the trek to the shrine and sent back by the police, official sources said that she entered the sanctum sanctorum and offered prayers.
This is Modi's second visit to the temple since he became the prime minister in 2014.
The index widened its loss towards the fag-end on emergence of intense selling in heavyweights like ITC, RIL and ICICI Bank. In percentage terms, however, Sun Pharma was the biggest loser with 9.39 per cent drop. Intra-day, the pharma major's shares tanked over 20 per cent.
More than a lakh Muslims offered prayers at Hyderabad's historic Mecca Masjid on Jummatul Vidaa or the last Friday of Ramzan today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered prayers to Goddess Ma Kamakhya Devi at her historic temple atop Nilachal Hill in Guwahati before resuming his poll campaign in Assam.
A BSNL spokesperson said Fathima was suspended from service in view of the police investigation against her.
Sector-wise, banking, IT, pharma and realty indices drove the market momentum.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting says England's only hope of winning a Test in the upcoming Ashes series is the day/night match in Adelaide and has predicted a 4-0 victory for the hosts.
Mumbai's Trisha Devadiga, one of the winners at Comic Con 2019 tells Rediff.com's Hitesh Harisinghani how she designed the fascinating costume from scratch.
Carrying colourful toy aero-planes as holy offering, scores of aspiring migrants to the West, flock daily to a gurdwara at the end of a winding, dusty village road in Punjab, confident that their wishes would soon be fulfilled
The elaborate rituals, which commenced early in the morning, concluded after the three wooden chariots of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Goddess Subhadra reached their destination at Gundicha Temple from Sri Mandir well before evening.
A day after Kedarnath, the portals of famous Himalayan shrine of Badrinath were reopened on Monday for pilgrims after a gap of six months.
Top gainers in the Sensex pack included Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Bank, Hero MotoCorp, Asian Paints and PowerGrid, which rose up to 2.53 per cent.
Ajmer dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan's statement on triple talaq has led to a feud in his family with his younger brother dubbing him as a non-Muslim and staking claim to the post of the Deewan of the shrine.
Top losers include ONGC, SBI, PowerGrid, L&T, Yes Bank, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Maruti and NTPC, falling up to 2.84 per cent. On the other hand, gainers include Tata Motors, TCS, HDFC, HCL Tech, Infosys, ITC, HDFC Bank and HUL, rising up to 2.18 per cent.
Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the shrine, said revenue collection on the opening day registered a growth of Rs 1.28 crore compared to last year.
SBI was the biggest loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 2.40 per cent, followed by Yes Bank, Bharti Airtel, L&T, Sun Pharma, M&M, ICICI Bank, ONGC, RIL, Asian Paints, Vedanta and HUL, which lost up to 2.37 per cent.
The women devotees were surrounded by a large number of protesters after they crossed the base camp to begin the trek towards the hill shrine.
A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court held that the gold plating work of the sanctum sanctorum of famous Tirumala temple undertaken by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD) was "illegal and unconstitutional".
The woman showed her Aadhaar card to them to prove that she did not belong to the 'traditionally barred' age group of 10-50 years.
We can wait with bated breaths for the Allahabad High Court verdict slated for September 24 but that is not going to put to rest this controversy, says Vivek Gumaste
While Vedanta was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack rallying 4.67 per cent, others included Tata Steel, ONGC, NTPC, Yes Bank, Infosys, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, SBI, Bajaj Finance, L&T and RIL, rising up to 4.13 per cent.
Here are the highlights of Modi's second day in Nepal.
The RSS leader said he had not violated any customs and claimed that he ascended the 18 steps carrying the sacred offerings.
She was hit on her head by her mother-in-law. She is reportedly stable and has been referred for further tests in the hospital.
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.
Chief Secretary A K Tripathy and Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay rushed to the pilgrim town to make the necessary arrangements. "The DGP and I are rushing to Puri to take stock of the situation as per the direction of the chief minister. We will camp there," Tripathy said.
Unlike the regimes of Jayalalitha, Palaniswami and Karunanidhi, ministers are actually getting to make decisions on their own, with the unmentioned rider that they would be held responsible and accountable, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Restriction on entry of women in any temple is "unfair" and managements in the temples doing so should change their mentality, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said on Sunday, against the backdrop of some cases highlighted through recent agitations in Maharashtra.
'A breakthrough in eastern Ladakh leading to disengagement and creation of a buffer zone will obviate the need of military deployment through the winter months ahead,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Whether they are presidents, kings or prime ministers, heads of state have muscled into the inner sanctum of the International Olympic Committee in recent years, successfully swinging votes for their bids.
Under the Maharashtra Hindu Place of Worship (Entry Authorisation) Act, if any temple or person prohibits any person from entering a temple then he or she faces a six-month imprisonment.
It's easier to see a heart surgeon than a designer whose appearances on social pages far outnumber their presence before clients, notes Kishore Singh.
Making an early morning trip to the holiest Sikh shrine, Dr Singh accompanied by his wife Gurusharan reached the complex at 6 am and spent an hour there.
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