New Delhi: Supreme Court upheld a seven-judge bench to hear the review petitions in the Sabarimala case. The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ruled in a petition for reconsideration of the admission of women entering in Sabarimala. The case will be considered by the seven-membered Constitutional Bench. The existing judgment does not stay.
The decision was taken on September 28, 2018, in 56 review petitions against the court’s decision to allow youth to enter Sabarimala. A three-member majority verdict came against the two men on the bench.
At first, the verdict of the three was pronounced. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice AM Khanwilkar’s verdict was pronounced at first. The other members of the bench are RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud.
The Sabarimala review petition was not a unanimous decision from the Supreme Court. Justice DY Chandrachud and Rohinton Nariman wrote the dissenting verdict when three out of five judges wanted a broad bench.
There are other similar petitions as well as pending review petitions. All the petitions, including the entry of Sabarimala women and the admission of women to Muslim Parsi shrines, will now be considered by a broad bench.
The Constitutional Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra, Justices RF Nariman, A N Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud, and Indu Malhotra, granted women entry in Sabarimala on September 29, 2018. Justice Justice Indu Malhotra disagreed and all four judges upheld women’s access. 56 review petitions and four writ petitions were filed against the verdict. New Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has joined the five-member bench following the retirement of Justice Deepak Mishra. Other judges are unchanged. The verdict was adjourned to February 6 after hearing the case. The Pandalam royal family, the temple tantri and the NSS have filed a review petition.
