A view of the Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi. File
Fali Nariman had objected to the manner in which court turned a Sabarimala case review into an opportunity to examine “larger issues” concerning essential religious practices.
A nine-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S.A. Bobde will on Thursday hear detailed arguments on whether the Supreme Court can refer questions of law to a larger Bench while hearing a plea to review its earlier judgment.
This development follows renowned jurist and senior advocate Fali Nariman’s objection on Monday to the manner in which the court turned a review of the Sabarimala case into an opportunity to examine “larger issues” concerning the essential religious practices of various faiths, including Islam and Zoroastrianism.
And Chief Justice Bobde acknowledged that day that Mr. Nariman had a “formidable point there”. But senior advocate K. Parasaran countered Mr. Nariman, saying the Sabarimala case had its genesis in public interest petitions. The case was not an in personam (affecting a specific person) litigation. In a case emanating from a PIL, there was no restra