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Religion Belief
President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said the entire humanity rests on the foundation stone of religion and it was a matter of pride that religion occupied a central place in India's tradition, social system and political activities since time immemorial. The great banyan tree of Indian spirituality has its roots in the country with its branches spread all over the world. Many spiritual traditions originated in India and have been flourishing across the world, she said. Realising the cause of human suffering and showing the way to get rid of that suffering is the characteristic of eastern humanism, which has become more important in today's era, the president said. She was speaking after inaugurating the 7th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference, organised here by the India Foundation in collaboration with the Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies. "The concept of dharma-dhamma has been the basic voice of Indian consciousness. In our tradition it is said - 'Dharyate anena iti
Observing that religious conversion is a serious issue which should not be given a political colour, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the assistance of Attorney General R Venkataramani on a plea seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversions. A bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar asked Venkataramani to appear in the matter in which the petitioner sought a check on religious conversions through "intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits", and assist as amicus curiae. "We want your assistance also, AG. Religious conversions by force, allurement etc. There are ways and ways, anything by allurement, if that is happening, when what should be done? What are the corrective measures?" the bench said. At the outset, senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for Tamil Nadu, called the petition a "politically motivated" PIL, insisting there was no question of such conversions in the ...
The Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government's decision to look into issues only of women in inter-faith and inter-caste marriages shows signs of a prejudiced mindset and is a "retrograde" step. The state government has set up a committee to gather information on the inter-faith and inter-caste marriage couples and maternal families of women involved if they are estranged. The panel head and state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the move is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the Shraddha Walkar case. Walkar, a resident of Vasai in Maharashtra, was allegedly killed by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in their Delhi flat. He allegedly chopped her body into multiple pieces before disposing of them over several weeks. NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said it is good the government has plans to provide a platform for women who are in inter-caste or inter-faith marriages to access counselling and resolve issues with their families, especially those w
The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala will be opened on Wednesday, a day ahead of commencement of two-month long pilgrimage season. The annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season begins on November 17. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be opened at 5 PM on November 16 in the presence of chief priest (Tantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru by outgoing head priest N Parameswaran Namboothiri. Later, newly selected head priests of Lord Ayyappa and Malikappuram temples will take over for performing poojas for the next one-year period. The 41-day Mandala puja festival will conclude on December 27. The temple will be opened again on December 30 for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage on January 14, 2023. The shrine will be closed on January 20, concluding the pilgrim season. Officials said thousands of devotees are expected to participate this year as it is the first pilgrim season after lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions which were in place during the last two years. Elaborate security ..
The Supreme Court on Monday granted time till December 12 to the Centre to file a comprehensive affidavit to petitions challenging the validity of certain provisions of a 1991 law, which prohibit filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the reply could not be filed and the matter can be taken up later. I need to consult with the Government for filing a detailed counter. If some time can be given, the law officer said. The bench adjourned the hearing on the petitions after taking note of the submissions that due deliberations with government authorities were needed and asked the Centre to file a comprehensive one on or before December 12. The bench asked the Centre to share its response with the parties concerned and decided to hear t
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and others on a plea seeking direction to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversion by "intimidation" and through "gifts and monetary benefits". A bench of Justices M R Shah and Krishna Murari issued notices to the Union of India, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice. The top court asked the parties to file a reply by November 14. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversion by "intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits". Upadhyay submitted that this is a nationwide problem which needs to be tackled immediately. "The injury caused to the citizens is extremely large because there is not even one district which is free of religious conversion by 'hook and crook'," the plea submitted. "Incidents are report