Temple trust changes its stand on entry of women
Board, Kerala govt on same page, oppose review of verdict
NEW DELHI: Kerala’s Sabarimala temple administration on Wednesday closed ranks with the state’s Left Front government and pledged to support women of childbearing age worshipping there, in a surprising volte-face from its previous stance, as the Supreme Court took up petitions challenging its September 28, 2018 order throwing open the hilltop shrine to women of all ages.
Women cannot be discriminated against because of biological attributes, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) told a five-judge Constitution Bench,which reserved its verdict on a bunch of petitions challenging the judgment that ended the practise of barring women aged between 10 and 50 years from entering the 800-year-old temple in the belief that its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, was a celibate.
Kerala’s Left Front government, which says it is committed to implementing the order, on Wednesday sought the dismissal of the petitions, arguing that peace will “prevail ultimately” in
the state despite periodic tension and clashes between right-wing Hindu groups that want the ban to stay, and the police.
“Article 25(1) equally entitles all persons to practice religion,” senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for TDB, told the bench. “Women cannot be excluded from any walk of life on biological attributes... equality is the dominant theme of the Constitution,”
said Dwivedi, adding that people should gracefully accept the apex court verdict.
The board had earlier staunchly opposed a public interest petition filed by the Indian Young Lawyers Association, which wanted female devotees of all ages to be allowed to pray at Sabarimala. The celibate character of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala temple is a unique religious
feature that was protected under the Constitution, the board, which oversees the administration of the temple, had maintained.
The top court judgment enraged traditionalists and caused unrest in parts of Kerala, where both the BJP and the Congress opposed the state government’s vow to uphold the verdict. CHANDIGARH: The tussle over the new Punjab Police chief took a fresh turn on Wednesday with DGP, special task force, Mohd Mustafa, saying that he has been left out of the three-member panel finalised by the Union Public Service Commission and would move the Supreme Court for being ignored for the top job.
“There was a conspiracy keep me out of the panel and I will take this fight for my right to the logical end,” Mustafa, a 1985-batch officer who was seen as a strong probable for the post, told Hindustan Times.
On February 4, after the UPSC meeting in New Delhi, state government sources had indicated that names of Mustafa, DGP intelligence Dinkar Gupta and Samant Goyal, who is on central deputation, were on the panel cleared by the commission. A day later, some reports suggested that the UPSC had cleared names of Gupta, DGP admin MK Tiwari, DGP provision VK Bhawra for the post.
Mustafa’s latest remarks confirm that his name is not on the panel. The state government, however, is yet to receive any official communication from the UPSC regarding it.
“The appointment of DGP is the prerogative of the state government and there is no dispute about it. But my name was left out of the panel with an ulterior motive,” said Mustafa. “Throughout my career, I have served the force with full dedication and integrity. Not having my name on the panel is like a stigma,” he added.
Without taking any names, Mustafa said he has reliably learnt that the state representatives in the UPSC meeting on Monday exceeded their briefs and went overboard to get him excluded from the panel citing frivolous and ridiculous reasons. The state was represented by chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh and DGP Suresh Arora.
“One reason cited by a state official in the meeting was that I should not be considered because the distance of our house situated in Malerkotla is mere 200 metres from the limits of the assembly constituency from where my wife is the MLA,” said Mustafa.
Mustafa’s wife Razia Sultana is a Congress MLA from Malerkotla and minister for higher education and water supply and sanitation in chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s cabinet. Mustafa said as per the top court guidelines, there were only three criteria to judge the suitability of a person to head the state police.
“First is seniority, second is ‘very good service record’ and third is range of experience in policing. I am head and shoulders above the three others considered by the UPSC,” said Mustafa.
The DGP STF also warned that he would bring on record, in the SC, many startling revelations about the officers who were being preferred over him.
My name was left out of the panel with an ulterior motive. I will make startling revelations against those who have been preferred over me. MOHD MUSTAFA, DGP STF