A deity in a temple does not have constitutional rights, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud wrote in his separate opinion. Fundamental rights are meant for individuals, not deities or idols. Justice Chandrachud was countering arguments that the right to preserve the celibacy of the deity in the Sabarimala temple is a “protected …

Swedish Air chief on tech transfer If India chooses the Gripen fighter jet, then the choice of the private Indian company to partner with Sweden’s SAAB to build the aircraft should be the Indian Government’s and “nobody else’s”, Swedish Air Force chief Major General Mats Eric Helgesson said on Thursday. …

The Supreme Court dismissed the argument that the prohibition was an essential part of religion. The Chief Justice said the inclusion of women, rather than their exclusion, is the essential part of the Hindu religion. ‘Nature not changed’ “By allowing women to enter Sabarimala temple for offering prayers, it cannot …

  Global Language Park in Pune to promote linguistic diversity In what is certainly the first such experiment in the country, and perhaps the world, the eminent linguist Ganesh Devy plans to set up a Global Language Park ( bhasha van in Hindi) in Pune. It will be located on …

Kerala government will have to scale up security and provide more facilities Crowd management and scaling up of security infrastructure in Sabarimala and its precincts to host thousands of women pilgrims following the Supreme Court verdict will throw new challenges for the Kerala government and the Travancore Devaswom Board. Board …

Rationality can’t be invoked in this: Justice Indu Malhotra Judges should not impose their personal views, morality or rationality with respect to the form of worship of a deity, Justice Indu Malhotra on Friday wrote in her judgment, dissenting with the majority verdict to open up the Sabarimala temple for …

The district has now become the grain basket of the State, says Chief Minister Patnaik In the 1980s, Kalahandi was a synonym for poverty. Today, Odisha’s western district is ready to shed its image of being a land of perpetual poverty. The progress made by the district in different fields …

Justice Chandrachud calls to balance group rights with individual freedoms Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, in his separate opinion in the Sabarimala case on Friday, proposed a new method on how courts should deal with ecclesiastical matters of religion and faith. The judge observed that courts should adopt a deferential attitude to …

Orders preparation of action plans within two months Taking suo motu cognisance of a report in The Hindu on the increase in polluted river stretches in the country, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all States and Union Territories to prepare action plans within two months. Stating that the …

Inaugurates Parakram Parv to celebrate anniversary of surgical strikes Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the annual Combined Commanders Conference in the Air Force Station Jodhpur on Friday and stressed on the need for “jointness” among the three services. The stress was of the speech was on “jointness” and the need …