Maneka Gandhi welcomes Sabarimala verdict
New Delhi, Sep 28: 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.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court ruled that preventing women in the 10-50 age group from visiting the temple was violative of their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantees.
"It is ridiculous that God is for one and not for the other. He has to be for all. After all, it is a temple not a Gymkhana Club, which dictates on who can enter and who cannot," the Minister told the media here.
"Some people have turned temples into clubs. This judgment is to turn those clubs back to temples," she added.
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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.
