Top News
SC to hear review petitions on Sabarimala, no stay on ruling (Second Lead)
New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to go for open court hearings of the 49 petitions seeking a recall of its order permitting females of all age groups to pray at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. Until then, the order will remain valid.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra decided to hear on January 22 the petitions seeking a recall of the September 28 order.
But they made it clear that there would be no stay on the September 28 order lifting the ban enforced till then on girls and women in the 10-50 age group from praying at the Sabarimala temple.
“Applications for hearing of review petitions in open court are allowed,” the court said.
But the bench added: “We make it clear that there is no stay of the judgment and order of this Court dated 28th September.”
The September ruling had generated passions in Kerala, with traditionalists and the Hindu rightwing openly opposing the directive.
Tuesday’s order came after the judges considered the review petitions in their chambers.
The open court hearing of the review petitions is likely to see it being clubbed with another three fresh writ petitions that were listed on Tuesday morning. But the hearing on them was deferred awaiting the outcome of the review petitions later in the day.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph before which the three fresh petitions were listed for hearing on Tuesday morning asked the petitioners to wait for the outcome of the review petitions.
Gogoi said if they decided to dismiss the batch of review petitions, then the fresh appeals would be listed to be considered separately. But if they decided to uphold the review petitions, then these would be tagged along with them.
The prayers in the fresh petitions effectively boil down to upholding the practice of the Sabarimala temple of prohibiting the entry of girls and women between in the age group of 10 to 50 years.
The National Association of Aayappa Devotees, the Nair Service Society and 47 other organisation have moved the review petition seeking a recall of September 28 verdict.
A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra had junked the age-old tradition of the Lord Ayyappa temple by a majority verdict of 4:1.
It said that the ban on women in the menstruating age group, whose presence at the Sabarimala temple was considered “impure”, violated their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantee of equality.
The petitioners have argued that besides “patent legal errors” in the verdict, the assumption that the temple practice was based on notions of menstrual impurity was factually erroneous.
Pointing to the massive protests against the verdict by women worshippers, the petitioners contended that these “clearly demonstrate that overwhelmingly large section of women worshippers are supporting the custom of prohibiting entry of women”.
–IANS
pk/mr
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.