Review plea: SC to decide today

The Supreme Court yesterday said it would decide today as to when the petitions, seeking review of its Sabarimala verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the temple, will be listed for hearing.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul considered the submissions of lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara that his petition seeking review of the constitutional bench judgement be listed for urgent hearing.

‘We know that there are 19 review petitions pending. By tomorrow we will decide,’ the bench said.

Nedumpara was mentioning the petition filed by National Ayyappa Devotees Association.

A five-judge constitution bench by a ratio of 4:1 had held that women of all age groups should be allowed entry inside Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.

The court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on Nedumpara’s plea which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench verdict lifting the ban was ‘absolutely untenable and irrational’.

The bench had said that the review petitions could only be taken up after the Dussehra vacation, adding that in any case, it will be heard in chamber and not in open court.

The petition filed by Shylaja Vijayan, president, National Ayyappa Devotees Association through Nedumpara, had submitted that, ‘Faith cannot be judged by scientific or rationale reasons or logic’.