Sabarimala case: SC to grant no more than 10 days to argue women's rights

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it would not grant more than 10 days time to finish arguments on the issues arising out of Sabarimala case judgement, including women's rights to enter their respective places of worship.

"We would not grant more than 10 days for arguments," Chief Justice of India S A Bobde led bench said as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter saying the counsel could not unanimously finalise the questions to be decided by the 9-judge bench post the Sabarimala review judgement.

The Court's nine-judge bench had earlier directed for a meeting of all lead counsel on January 17 to finalise the issues, arising out of Sabarimala case judgement. Senior advocates A M Singhvi, Indira Jaising, Rajeev Dhavan, V Giri and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta attended the meeting.

The meeting was to "reframe or add any issues" for decision by the larger nine-judge bench.

Dealing with review petitions against the 2018 Sabarimala judgement allowing all age women to enter the Lord Ayappa shrine in Kerala, a five-judge had on November 14, 2019, said similar pending questions related to Muslim women's right to enter 'dargah' and mosque, and permission to Parsi women, married to a non-Parsi, into the holy fire place of an 'Agyari' and practice of female genital mutilation among Dawoodi Bohar community would require authoritative determinations.

During the last hearing, practice of Santhara among Jain community and rights of Shwetambar Jain community women were also raised. Swami Agnivesh of Bandhua Mukti Morcha had also sought to intervene into the matter.