Supreme Court During Sabarimala Reference: We Cannot Break Indian Civilization's Relationship With Religion

The Supreme Court's 9-judge bench hearing the Sabarimala reference case in which seven larger questions on the scope of religious freedoms are being considered today said that it cannot question the relationship which Indians have with religion.

Court today heard arguments by Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, who is representing the Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community, challenging the power of the Dai (religious head) of the Dawoodi Bohra community to excommunicate persons.

While questioning if the act of excommunication is a secular act or a religious act, Justice BV Nagarathna observed, "Once everyone starts questioning certain religious practices or matters of religion before a constitutional court, then what happens to this civilization, where religion is so intimately connected with Indian society? There will be hundreds of petitions questioning this right, that right, closure of the temple, right?"

Justice Nagarathna went on to highlight the uniqueness of Indian society. "What is unique about India as compared to any other region? See, we are a civilization. Why are we a civilization despite having so many pluralities and diversities? I said diversity is our strength. We continue to remain a civilization. You may call us a sovereign democratic republic, but there is still a constant. One of the constants in Indian society is the relationship of human beings, man, woman or child, with religion. It is deeply intimate to everybody. Now, when a religious practice or a matter of religion is questioned, where it is questioned, why it is questioned, whether it can be questioned, whether the questioning has to come from within the denomination itself for reform, or whether the State has to do it, or whether you want the Court to adjudicate upon all these aspects, these are the things troubling us. See, what we lay down as a nine judge Bench is for a civilization. That civilization is India. India has progressed despite all its developments, economy and everything else. There is still a constant within us. We cannot break that constant. That is what is troubling us," she said.

Responding to this, Ramachandran said, "We are a civilization under a constitution, and therefore nothing which goes against the grain of our Constitution can be countenanced in a civilized society governed by the Constitution."

On similar lines, Supreme Court yesterday had questioned if the practice of excommunicating Parsi Zoroastrian women for entering interfaith marriages is even a religious matter. Senior Advocate Darius Khambata, making submissions on behalf of a Parsi Zoroastrian woman who married a Hindu man and faced exclusion from the Parsi community due to her interfaith marriage, had argued before the CJI Surya Kant led bench that Zoroastrianism is a very forward-looking religion, and this practice is actually man-made, which is why it’s difficult to find any religious texts that support this claim.

The Sabarimala review petitions is now one of the most important constitutional debates, balancing gender equality with religious freedom. Instead of immediately revising the 2018 verdict, the Supreme Court has chosen to examine wider questions affecting multiple faiths, making the case a landmark in constitutional and religious jurisprudence. Court has now expanded the issue beyond Sabarimala to include Muslim women’s entry into mosques, Parsi women’s religious rights and Dawoodi Bohra excommunication practices along with other similar issues.

After five years of the review petitions being taken up last, the Supreme Court of India in March took up the batch of petitions challenging its September 2018 decision wherein a 5-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court by a 4:1 majority had ruled that the traditional ban on women aged 10–50 years entering the Sabarimala temple was unconstitutional.Notably, more than 50 review petitions have filed by devotees, religious groups, and organisations arguing that the Court interfered with essential religious practices as Lord Ayyappa devotees form a separate religious denomination.

The issue dates back to 2006, when Indian Young Lawyers Association had filed a Writ Petition challenging the validity of Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965 (1965 Rules) and sought a direction to permit female devotees between the ages of 10 to 50 years to enter the Sabarimala temple without any restrictions.

By a majority of 4:1, the Supreme Court allowed the Writ Petition on 28 September 2018 holding that the devotees of Lord Ayyappa did not constitute a separate religious denomination and therefore cannot claim the benefit of Article 26 of the Constitution of India. Supreme Court also concluded that exclusion of women between the ages of 10 to 50 years from entry into the temple is violative of Article 25 of the Constitution of India. Further, Rule 3 (b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965 was declared as violative of Article 25 (1) to the Constitution of India and ultra vires Section 3 of Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965.

On 14 November 2019, a five judge Constitution Bench delivered a crucial order by a 3:2 Majority wherein it kept the Review petitions pending without overturning the 2018 judgment and referred larger constitutional questions to a 9-judge bench. The 9-judge bench led by former CJI SA Bobde held that no matter is beyond the jurisdiction of a superior Court of record unless it is expressly shown to be so, under the provisions of the Constitution and held that the review petitions were maintainable.

Case Title: KANTARU RAJEEVARU Vs INDIAN YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATION THR.ITS GENERAL SECRETARY MS. BHAKTI PASRIJA AND ORS.

Bench: CJI Surya Kant, Justices B V Nagarathna, MM Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, AG Masih, R Mahadevan, Prasanna B Varale and Joymalya Bagchi

Hearing Date: May 7, 2026