In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the Kerala government said activist Rehana Fathima’s bail conditions shouldn’t be relaxed in the Sabarimala entry case. The activist has broken the bail conditions several times and hurts religious sentiments through her social media activity, the affidavit reportedly said.
Following a Supreme Court verdict allowing women between the age of 10 and 50 to enter the Sabarimala hill shrine in 2018, Rehana Fathima made a trek to the temple in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district. Ahead of the journey, she shared a photo of her on Facebook declaring her decision to visit the temple.
A case was later registered against her before the Pathanamthitta police by a BJP worker, who alleged that her actions hurt religious sentiments, Asianet News reported. Rehana Fathima was later arrested but released after getting bail from the Kerala High Court, the news report added. The bail conditions included:
- Should appear before the investigation team when demanded
- Should not voice opinions via electronic media regarding the contents of the case
The Kerala government’s affidavit told the Supreme Court that her bail conditions should not be reduced as she broke the conditions many times. Her actions hurt religious sentiments repeatedly and this was against the most important condition of her bail. An investigation is in progress against her in three cases and the police are waiting for inputs from Facebook, the news report quoted the affidavit as saying.
Thus, her plea requesting relaxed bail conditions shouldn’t be entertained, the state government said.
In 2020, the Supreme Court had dismissed Rehana Fathima’s anticipatory bail plea in another case. She was accused of letting her minor kids paint her naked body, OnManorama reported. After she shared the video of the incident online, a case was registered against her under various sections including the POCSO, IT Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
