Page 114 - Religion Belief
Women's exclusion from Sabarimala based on menstrual age is untouchability: Chandrachud
Exclusion of women, based on age or menstrual status, from entering Kerala's Sabarimala temple is a form of "untouchability" which places them in a "subordinate" position, perpetuated "patriarchy" and is "derogatory to their dignity", Justice D Y Chandrachud said Friday in his verdict allowing them entry to the shrine. Justice Chandrachud's judgement concurred with the majority verdict of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices R F Nariman and A M Khanwilkar who set aside the centuries-old practice of barring entry of women of ages 10 to 50 into the temple, saying it was illegal and unconstitutional. Justice Indu Malhotra, the lone woman judge of the five-member bench, however, dissented with the majority view. Women, of menstruating ages, were barred from entry to places of worship, including Sabarimala, on the basis of two Travancore Devaswom Board notifications of October 1955 and November 1956, which were in 1992 upheld by the Kerala High Court, as well as Rule 3(b) of the Kerala ..
SC opens Sabarimala to women aged 10-50, not everyone is happy (Roundup)
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that women in the age group of 10-50 could also enter the famed Sabarimala temple in Kerala, a decision that caused dismay among the devout.
Judicial review of religious practices shouldn't be done, says Malhotra in Sabarimala verdict
Judicial review of religious practices should not be done as courts cannot impose their morality or rationality on the form of worship of a deity, Justice Indu Malhotra said in her lone dissenting verdict in the historic Sabarimala Temple case. While the four male judges, part of the five-judge bench, were in the favour of allowing women of all ages to enter the temple, Justice Malhotra refused to interfere with the centuries-old practice of banning women of age group of 10 to 50 years in the shrine. She said all forms of exclusion would not tantamount to "untouchability" and the restriction on women within a certain age-band, is based upon the historical origin and the beliefs and practices of the temple. She said the analogy sought to be drawn by comparing the rights of Dalits with reference to entry to temples and women is "wholly misconceived and unsustainable" and held that the limited restriction on women's entry during the notified age group does not fall within the purview of .
Iran arrests city council member for supporting Bahais
Iran has detained a member of the Shiraz city council for supporting two Iranians of the minority Bahai faith and expressing concern over their arrest, state news agency IRNA reported Friday. "Mehdi Hajati, a member of this council, was arrested Thursday evening for supporting two people of the outlawed cult of Bahaism," IRNA quoted council presiding board member Ghasem Moghimi as saying. Hajati, a reformist, had tweeted on Tuesday that "for the past 10 days, I did whatever I could to release the two Bahai friends that were arrested but failed". "Our generation is tasked to not back down in reforming judicial processes and other things that endanger social justice," he wrote, also using a Persian hashtag that translating into English as "fair trial". His twitter account, @MehdiHajati was suspended hours after his arrest. Bahram Parsayi, a lawmaker from Shiraz, came to Hajati's defence on Thursday. "Defending the civil rights of citizens should not be equated with supporting a cult," .
'Religious practices cannot be tested solely on Right to Equality'
As the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court pronounced the Sabarimala verdict by a 4In her minority judgment, Justice Malhotra opined, "Present judgment won't be limited to Sabarimala, it will have wide ramifications, and issues of deep religious sentiments shouldn't be ordinarily interfered into. Religious practices cannot solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. What constitutes essential religious practice is for the religious community to decide, not for the Court."The Supreme Court on Friday allowed women of all ages to enter the holy shrine in Kerala.Justice Malhotra, in her dissent view, also said that constitutional morality in a pluralistic society gives the freedom to practice irrational customs, and notions of rationality can't be invoked to examine the religious practice.Observing that Sabarimala shrine and the presiding deity are protected by freedom of religion and worshippers of Sabarimala constitute a separate religious denomination, Justice Malhotra .
Twitterverse divided over Sabarimala verdict
The Supreme Court verdict on the Sabarimala temple entry issue has garnered a mixed bag of emotions on social media.While the verdict, which removed all entry restrictions placed on women by the temple, has been hailed as a step towards gender equality, it has also invited the ire of people who believe that the court should not intervene in matters of religion or religious practices.Two hashtags-#ReadyToWait which was against the verdict, and #RightToPray which supported the verdict-did the rounds amongst Twitterverse, who took opposing stands on the dismissal of restrictions.A lot of Twitter users came forward and celebrated the verdict for ending gender discrimination. One user supported the "evolution of cultural values" while thanking the Supreme Court for their step towards ending gender discrimination in places of worship.Another user wrote "Women of all age groups can enter Sabarimala. To those who disagree, a woman brought you into this world. Menstruation is nature's way of ..
Shaun Micallef's spiritual trip to India
Shaun Micallef came to India to shoot his show "Stairway To Heaven", and says he stumbled upon some important life lessons during his stay in the country.
Nation cannot be run by 'fatwas', says Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday slammed people from the Muslim community who dish out 'fatwas' and said the country is not run by them but the Constitution given by the likes of Bhimrao Aambedkar.
China celebrates 2,569 years of Confucius
China on Friday celebrated the 2,569th birthday of Confucius, the ancient educator and philosopher regarded as an icon of traditional Chinese culture. For thousands of years, Confucius' teachings and philosophy have greatly impacted people around the world and are still present in today's society. After decades of neglect, the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), which initially condemned him as feudal, began projecting him as an icon of ancient Chinese culture. Annual commemorations of Confucius' birth started in 478 BC, the year after his death. There are currently about 1,300 Confucius temples worldwide, many of which hold ceremonies on the anniversary of his birth. A ceremony was held in eastern China's Shandong Province on Friday to mark the 2,569th birthday of Confucius. The ceremony, held in the city of Qufu, Confucius' hometown, welcomed government officials, UNESCO officials, scholars, students and descendants of Confucius. More than 1,400 students and residents recited ...
Women can't be repressed for physiological reasons, says SC & opens Sabarimala for them
The repression of women under the garb of "physiological factors" cannot be legitimised and patriarchy in religion cannot "trump over" devotion, the Supreme Court ruled Friday as it threw open the closed gates of the historic Sabarimala temple for women of all age groups. Penning his last verdict of a five-judge constitution bench, Chief Justice Dipak Misra, who would demit office on October 2, rejected the vehement submissions of the Travancore Devaswom Board, which runs the temple, and ruled that the devotees of Lord Ayyappa are "exclusively Hindus" and do not constitute a "separate religious denomination". The historic verdict, which would add force to clamour for equality for women of other religions, extensively dealt with Article 25 (1) which was referred to by the Temple Board and the devotees in support of the practice of barring entry of girls and women between the menstrual age of 10 and 50 years. Sabarimala is a prominent Hindu temple which attracts tens of millions of ...
DMK welcomes SC verdict on Sabarimala, Hindu outfit seeks status quo
The DMK on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala, while a Hindu outfit urged the Centre to bring a bill in Parliament to continue the practice of allowing only men into the shrine. "The Supreme Court's verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple proves that men and women are equal; it is a historic judgement," DMK president M K Stalin tweeted. "This judgement is a milestone in the journey towards lofty ideals of social justice, gender equality and women emancipation," he said. DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi also hailed the verdict on Twitter. "This is a historic judgement. And specially for all those believers who think that god created human beings & created them equally. Hope the parliament and legislative assemblies also follow this path & allow women in equal numbers," she said. The verdict was also welcomed by the DMK's parent organisation and rationalist outfit ..
SC opens Sabarimala to women of all ages, many unhappy
The Supreme Court ruling on Friday allowing women of all ages to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala has left its priests and many others, including women, unhappy.
SC lifts ban in Sabarimala temple; allows entry of women of all ages; activists hail verdict
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court Friday lifted a ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala, holding this centuries-old Hindu religious practice is illegal and unconstitutional. Women activists hailed the judgement that paved the way for entry of female devotees of all ages as a victory for gender equality while Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said it would make Hinduism even more inclusive. The temple barred women of a "menstruating age"-- defined as between the ages of 10 and 50--from entering. The Chief Justice Dipak Misra-headed Constitution bench in a 4-1 verdict held that the existing ban is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. "Restrictions put by Sabarimala temple can't be held as essential religious practice," said Justice Misra, adding religion is a way of life basically to link life with divinity. While Justices R F Nariman and D Y ...
Leaders across parties hail SC's Sabarimala verdict
Hours after the Supreme Court announced its verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala, politicians across party lines welcomed the historic judgement, saying that the right to pray should not be discriminated against them.A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, said banning women's entry into the temple is gender discrimination and violates the rights of Hindu women. The ruling came after a petition argued that the practice violated gender equality.When ANI spoke to ministers, members of Parliament and leaders from various political parties, they all welcomed the verdict.Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, termed the judgment as wonderful. She said, "It opens up and brings the way forward for Hinduism to become even more inclusive and not a property of one caste or one sex. A woman is considered a 'Devi' (goddess), so how can you prevent Devi from entering a temple? It is a ..
Activist who led Shani Shingnapur stir hails SC Sabarimala
Activist Trupti Desai, who led an agitation earlier to allow women to enter the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra, Friday hailed the Supreme Court's order on Kerala's Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, Friday said banning entry of women to Kerala's Sabarimala temple is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. Desai told PTI that the SC order was a victory for women's constitutional rights and a setback for the patriarchal mentality and high-handedness of the temple trustees which had refused entry to women there. Desai said she planned to visit the Kerala temple soon. Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is the most famous and prominent among all the Sastha temples in Kerala. It is situated on a hilltop (about 3000 feet above sea level) named Sabarimala in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district. Desai's Bhumata Ranragini Brigade ...
SC opens Sabarimala gates to women aged 10-50 (Fifth Lead)
The Supreme Court on Friday opened the gates of the Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in Kerala to the women in the 10-50 age group, saying the ban violated their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantees.
Maneka Gandhi welcomes Sabarimala verdict
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict to open the gates of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala to women of all ages, saying that temples cannot be run like clubs.
Merely taking photos of 'Bharatmata' doesn't make one patriotic: Vice President
Merely taking photographs of 'Bharatmata' while at the same time discriminating on the basis of religion, region or language does not make one a patriot, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said here on Friday.
Jayamala welcomes SC verdict on Sabarimala, says women have got justice
Karnataka Women and Child Development Minister Jayamala Friday termed as "historic" the Supreme Court verdict on entry of women into the Lord Ayyappa Temple and said women have now got justice. The actress-turned-politician had created a storm some years ago by claiming that she had in her prime youth entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and touched the idol of the presiding deity. "There is no happier moment in my life other than this. I thank the women community, Supreme Court judges and God today...I also thank Ambedkar who wrote our Constitution," Jayamala told reporters. She said she had expected such a judgement and credited the country's legal system and Constitution for it. "Women have got justice today. This is a historic moment," the minister added. The revelation by Jayamala in June 2006 had kicked up a storm, as women in the 10-50 age group were barred from entering the temple. In 2010, the Crime Branch of Kerala Police had charge sheeted her along with others ..
SC opens Sabarimala to women of all ages; temple tantri unhappy
The historic Supreme Court judgment which on Friday allowed women of all ages to enter Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in Kerala, has left the temple tantris (priests) and those associated with it by tradition disappointed.