Sabarimala case, Day 8:CJI says ‘Tharoor’s article personal opinion, not law’; Justice Nagarathna adds ‘don’t cite WhatsApp University’

Today is the eighth day of arguments before the 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court in the Sabarimala reference. During the proceedings, Justice B. V. Nagarathna remarked that information derived from “WhatsApp University” cannot be accepted as credible evidence. The observation came in response to arguments by senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for the Dawoodi Bohra community, who said there was no harm in considering knowledge irrespective of its source. He was referring to a newspaper article by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, which called for judicial restraint in matters of religion. CJI Surya Kant added that while the court respects eminent personalities and jurists, personal opinions remain individual views. A day earlier, the nine-judge Constitution Bench, led by the Chief Justice, observed that it is difficult for courts to determine whether a religious practice is essential or not, noting that the term “essential” does not appear in the Constitution. 7 questions being debated in the Supreme Court 22 April: 5 key observations from the Hearing Hearing on Sabarimala case began on April 7 Hearings on the Sabarimala temple case began on April 7th. The hearings lasted for the first three days, until April 9th. During this period, the central government argued against women’s entry. The government stated that men are also prohibited from entering many goddess temples across the country, and therefore, religious traditions must be respected. 7 days of hearing: What’s happened so far… ALSO READ | ‘Hindus should be united, not divided into sects’, says SC (Day-7 Hearing) ALSO READ | SC questions how can deity be defiled by touch? (Day-6 Hearing) ALSO READ | ‘Is conscience greater than religion?’ Court seeks clarity (Day-5 Hearing) ALSO READ | Sabarimala board says, ‘Ayyappa Temple is not a restaurant’ (Day-4 Hearing) ALSO READ | Justice Nagarathna observes ban will divide society, hurt Hinduism (Day-3 Hearing) ALSO READ | Govt says courts can’t label religious practices as superstition (Day-2 Hearing) ALSO READ | Govt tells SC not to ‘interfere’ in religious matters; women’s entry will ‘alter tradition’ (Day-1 Hearing) Stay tuned to Bhaskar English for real-time updates on the hearing related to discrimination against women at religious places… ​