Supreme Court Judge Who Made a U-turn on His Views on Women's Entry to Sabarimala Temple
In the 2018 judgment, Justice Khanwilkar had endorsed the views of the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra in holding that female worshippers of the age group of 10 to 50 years must also be allowed in the Kerala’s temple.
File photo of Supreme Court.
New Delhi: Out of the five judges on the Sabarimala bench, Justice AM Khanwilkar happens to be the only one who has gone back on his views.
In the 2018 judgment, Justice Khanwilkar had endorsed the views of the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra in holding that female worshippers of the age group of 10 to 50 years must also be allowed in the Kerala’s temple.
The judge had also agreed with the majority view that the devotees of Lord Ayyappa are exclusively Hindus and do not constitute a separate religious denomination as he was a part of the 4:1 majority judgment.
Justice Dipak Misra was replaced by CJI Ranjan Gogoi on this bench after the former had retired, while the other four members of the bench remained the same – Justice Rohinton F Nariman, Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.
In deciding the clutch of review petitions, while Justice Gogoi opined that the issues required an extensive scrutiny by a seven-judge bench, his views found opposition in Justices Nariman and Chandrachud who remained convinced that the exclusionary practice in Sabrimala was constitutionally immoral and could not be allowed.
Justice Indu Malhotra also retained her views in the review petitions as the majority judgment held that courts need to be careful and circumspect in interfering with the matters of religion and religious practices.
But Justice Khanwilkar turned out to be the only judge who went back on his initial views and now supported Justices Gogoi and Indu Malhotra in calling upon a larger bench to deal with the issues of religious matters and scope of judicial interference.
Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.
- Monday 25 November , 2019 How Ajit Pawar May Have Changed Maharashtra’s Political Dynamics | Crux+
- Saturday 09 November , 2019 Launch of Kartarpur Corridor Amidst Indo-Pak Strife | Crux+
- Wednesday 06 November , 2019 Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir Case History | Rare Interviews | Crux Files
- Friday 08 November , 2019 LK Advani: The Architect of Hindutva Politics | Rare Interviews
Live TV
Recommended For You
Drag Shows, Books and Films: India's Queer Community Comes Together for First Rainbow Lit Fest
Sonakshi Sinha on Possibility of Female Version of Dabangg: There's Still a Long Way to Go
You've Probably Listened to More 'Drake' in the Last Ten Years Than You Think
Couple in Tamil Nadu Receives Bouquet of Onions from Friends at Their Wedding
Nike Joyride Dual Run Review: The Running Shoe Revolution is Truly Underway