No one should interfere in temple traditions: Actor Rajinikanth on Sabarimala
Chennai, Oct 20: Actor Rajinikanth Saturday said there should be no "interference" in temple traditions being followed for a long time, in his first response to the recent Supreme Court order on entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala and the subsequent protests.
Speaking to reporters here, he said there was no second opinion on equality for women in every sphere.
"But when you talk about a temple, every temple has its time honoured rituals, besides traditions being followed for a long time. My humble opinion is that no one should interfere in that," Rajinikanth said.
Noting that the top court verdict should be "respected", the 67-year-old actor however, indicated that caution should be exercised when it came to matters of religion and related rituals.
Kerala has been witnessing protests against the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple since the government had said it would abide by the ruling of the apex court.
The agitation intensified since the shrine was opened for the five-day monthly pooja on October 17.
On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the SC, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.
On the #MeToo movement that has seen several women levelling sexual harassment charges against men including celebrities and political personalities, Rajinikanth said it was "beneficial" for women.
However, "it should not be misused and should (be) used properly," he cautioned.
On national award-winning lyricist Vairamuthu being accused of sexual harassment, the actor pointed out that the poet has denied the charges made by singer Chinmayi Sripaada.
Former Union Minister MJ Akbar, film personalities like Alok Nath, Subhash Ghai, Rajat Kapoor and Vairamuthu have been accused of sexual harassment by a number of women under the #MeToo movement.
To a question on the launch of his proposed party, Rajinikanth said 90 per cent of the work was over and that he would make the announcement at the right time.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
