Sabarimala order review: Hearing in SC to be delayed

New Delhi, Jan 15: The hearing of the review petition with regard to the Sabarimala verdict will be further delayed. A Constitution Bench had been set up to hear the review petitions and the matter was to come up on January 22.

However, since Justice Indu Malhotra is on medical leave, the hearing will not take place on January 22.

There are at least 19 review petitions pending in connection with this case. The Bench while agreeing to hear the review petitions in open court made it clear that the earlier order that had lifted the ban would remain in force.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.

A plea filed by the National Ayyappa Devotees Association (NADA), which has sought review of the verdict, had said, "the notion that the judgment under review is revolutionary, one which removes the stigma or the concept of dirt or pollution associated with menstruation, is unfounded."

"It is a judgment welcomed by hypocrites who were aspiring for media headlines. On the merits of the case, as well, the said judgment is absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse," the petition had also said.