Dear friends, It is quite a pleasure to see that so many people have reacted from all over the country to support the Sabarimala campaign. I am enclosing the list of endorsements so far. I would request you the following: 1. If there are any names left out, please let me know. 2. If the description of names faulty, or if there are spelling errors, please let me know. 3. If more organisations, especially Women's Organisations, Dalit Oganisations and Adivasi Organisations can endorse the statement, the campaign can have more strength. 4. We are planning to close the endorsements by Monday evening, so that the statement can be released all over India by Tuesday morning. 5. Those who can help to generate more endorsements will be welcome. 5. Those who can take efforts to publicise this campaign in mainstream media and social media anywhere in this country are welcome. 7. Those who can take efforts to translate the statement in various regional languages and circulate it would be highly appreciated. In the context of the Sangh Parivar initiating violence in many parts of Kerala, we would request you to do whatever you can do within your means. 8. Further endorsements can be sent to my email id. 9. Any effort to strengthen this campaign will be highly appreciated
K.P. Sasi .................................................................... To Shri Pinarayi Vijayan Chief Minister of Kerala Sir, Adv. Bindu and Kanakadurga made history on January 2, 2019 by entering the Sabarimala temple , a right accorded to them, by the historic Supreme Court verdict given on 28 September 2018. This day will also go down as a dark day in the history of India when the Tantris and Melshanthi (headpriest) of the Sabarimala temple conducted a 'purifying puja'. In the historic judgment Justice D.Y Chandrachud observed that the practice to ban entry to women between the ages of ten and fifty at the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala is "a form of untouchability". He observed "Religion cannot be cover to deny women the right to worship......To treat women as children of a lesser God is to blink at constitutional morality." Justice Chandrachud also said that "exclusion of women is a violation of right to liberty, dignity and equality..... Exclusion of women because she menstruates is utterly unconstitutional." Article 17 of Constitution of India says that "Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any disability arising out of Untouchability shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law." It is clear that the purification ceremony performed at Sabarimala is unconstitutional and violates the Supreme Court judgment. Therefore we demand that the Tantris and Melashanthi of Sabarimala should be dismissed from their position as their action is against constitutional morality. Since this purification ceremony happened according to the values of Brahmanical patriarchy we also demand that the Brahmin Tantris should be debarred from their hereditary rights over Sabarimala temple and the worship rights at Sabarimala be given back to Adivasis who were the customary custodians of Sabarimala until the Brahmins took control of the Sabarimala temple in the early 20th Century. We also demand that the Tantri status should be abolished and the Melshanthi should be reinstated to the Adivasis as per the tradition. We appeal to make necessary steps to enforce community rights and facilitate environmental protection of the forests around Sabarimala as well as Pampa river as per the Forest Rights Act. Signatories 1. Swami Agnivesh, Former President, World Arya SamajGanshyam 2. Aruna Roy, MKSS 3. Anand Patwardhan, Film Maker 4. Dr. Ram Puniyani. Writer, Retd. Professor, IIT 5. K. Satchidanandan, Writer, Poet, Former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi 6. Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Visiting Professor, IIT, Social Activist 7. Kavita Srivastava, PUCL 8. Prashant Paikray, Anti-POSCO Movement, Odisha 9. VS Roy David, National Adivasi Alliance 10. Dr. Goldy M George, Founder, Dalit Mukti Morcha, Chhattisgarh 11. Leo Saldhana, Environmental Support Group 12. Binu Mathew, Editor, Counter Currents 13. Satya Sagar, Writer, Public Health Activist 14. Jai Sen, Researcher, Editor, New Delhi 15. Fr. Cedric Prakash, Human Rights Activist 16. Brinda Adige 17. Ganshyam Shah 18. Valson Thampu 19. Arun Kumar, Malcom S. Adiseshiah Chair Professor, Indian Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi. 20. Hiren Gandhi, Darshan Organisation, Gujarat 21. Dr. Saroop Dhruv 22. Dr. Renuka Pamecha, Women’s Rehabilitation Group 23. Dr. Pawan Surana, Rajasthan University Women’s Association 24. Dr. Laad Kumari Jain, Rajasthan University Women’s Association 25. Dr. Asha Kaushik, Rajasthan University Women’s Association 26. Nisha Sidhu, National Federation Indian Women 27. Bharat, Vishakha, Women’s Research 28. Prem Krishan Sharma, PUCL/ Academi for Socio Legal Studies 29. Kailash Kumbhakar, Academi for Socio Legal Studies 30. Nishat Hussein, National Women’s Welfare Society 31. Komal Srivastava, Bharat Vigyan Samiti 32. Mamta Jaitley, Vividha 33. Sumitra Chopra, AIDWA 34. Kusum Saiwal, AIDWA 35. Rakhi, CFAR 36. Vijay Lakshmi Joshi, PUCL 37. Dr. Meeta Singh, PUCL, Foundation for Dignity of Girl Child 38. Suman Devathiya, All India Dalit Mahila Manch, Rajasthan 39. Asha Kaira, Children and Woman Welfare Society 40. Dr. Malti Gupta, RUWA, NFIW 41. Raj Kumar Dogra, NFIW 42. Lata Singh, PUCL 43. Shabnam Aziz, PUCL 44. Anitha Mathur, Azad Foundation 45. Deepak Kalra, UMANG] 46. Minakshi, APARAJITA 47. Shubha Jindel, PUCL 48. Pradnya Deshpande, Psychologist 49. Ramesh Asher, Film Maker 50. Gerda Unnithan, Kejri Health Trust, RUWA 51. Akhil Chowdhari, Lawyer, PUCL 52. Nesar Ahmed, BARC 53. Chaya Pachauli, Centre for Health and Equity, Jaipur 54. Dr. Shobita Rajgopal, Women Studies Consultant, Jaipur 55. Dr. Kanchan Mathur, Women Studies Consultant 56. Nirja Mishra, Academic 57. Dr. Pritam Pal, Women’s Studies and Public Health Consultant 58. Dr. Alaka Rao 59. Maya Pandit 60. Mustafa Desamangalam, Film Maker, Writer 61. K.P. Sasi, Film Maker, Cartoonist, Writer. 62. RN Jha, Patna 63. D.N. 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