Justice Indu Malhotra, lone woman on SC bench hearing Sabarimala temple case
Explains why she dissented
New Delhi: Justice Indu Malhotra, the lone woman judge in the Supreme Court, was the only dissenting voice in the five-judge constitution bench which ruled on Friday that the ban on women between the ages of 10 to 50 years to enter the Sabarimala temple was unconstitutional.
She said that personal views of judges about religious practice were irrelevant grievances raised were non-justiciable.
“In a secular polity issues that are matters of deep religious faith must not be interfered with by courts,” Justice Malhotra said. “The right to practice is a fundamental right.. religious practises are protected.”
While two other judges said Article 25 of the Constitution protects the equal entitlement on all persons to freely practice religion, Justice Malhotra said, “Article 25 protects essential practice.”
She also underlined that courts normally do not interfere with religious practices
“Equality in matters of religion must be viewed in the context of the worshippers of the same faith. It is not for the court to determine which practices of faith are to be struck down except when they are evil, for example sati,” Justice Malhotra said.
She said that the issue of what constitutes is an essential practice is for religious committees to decide.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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1,600 Indians travel to India on 5 Qatar Airways flights amid airspace curbs
Doha (PTI): Around 1,600 Indian nationals travelled to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, even as the airline continues to operate limited services due to restrictions on Qatar's airspace, the Indian Embassy here said.
The flights included two services to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the embassy said in a social media post.
"In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today," it said.
The mission noted that Qatar's airspace remains largely closed and Qatar Airways is currently operating only limited, non-scheduled flights.
The airline has announced services to nine Indian destinations starting Wednesday, and passengers can make bookings through the Qatar Airways website, mobile application or authorised travel agents.
The embassy said it continues to facilitate temporary Saudi transit visas for stranded Indian nationals wishing to travel to India via Saudi Arabia by crossing the Salwa land border.
The mission will remain open on all days in the coming week to provide consular services, including issuance of passports, while its control room and helplines through phone, email and WhatsApp will continue to function on a 24/7 basis.
It urged the Indian community to follow instructions issued by Qatari authorities and exercise responsibility in sharing information to help maintain public safety and community stability.
The embassy and Indian community organisations have also collaborated to support members of the Indian fishermen community in Qatar by providing dry rations to those in need.
Tensions in West Asia continue to escalate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.
