Sabarimala Reference : Live Updates From Supreme Court 9-Judge Bench
LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK
7 April 2026 10:54 AM IST
A 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court will start hearing the Constitutional issues referred to the larger bench in the Sabarimala review.
Apart from CJI Surya Kant, the Bench comprises Justice BV Nagarathna, Justice MM Sundresh, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Justice Aravind Kumar, Justice Augustine George Masih, Justice Prasanna B Varale, Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The seven questions before the Supreme Court are :
(i) What is the scope and ambit of right to freedom of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution of India?
(ii) What is the inter-play between the rights of persons under Article 25 of the Constitution of India and rights of religious denomination under Article 26 of the Constitution of India?
(iii) Whether the rights of a religious denomination under Article 26 of the Constitution of India are subject to other provisions of Part III of the Constitution of India apart from public order, morality and health?
(iv) What is the scope and extent of the word 'morality' under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India and whether it is meant to include Constitutional morality?
(v) What is the scope and extent of judicial review with regard to a religious practice as referred to in Article 25 of the Constitution of India?
(vi) What is the meaning of expression “Sections of Hindus” occurring in Article 25 (2) (b) of the Constitution of India?
(vii) Whether a person not belonging to a religious denomination or religious group can question a practice of that religious denomination or religious group by filing a PIL?
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Live Updates
- 7 April 2026 11:57 AM IST
SG:on April 3, communal riots were taking place and framers were concerned that one religion based on numerical strength would claim strenght and therefore it added equally entitled- nothing to do with gender. Both man and women are equally entitled to rights which is taken care in Article 14.
J Nagarathna: no religion is superior than the other
SG: yes, nothing to do with gender
- 7 April 2026 11:55 AM IST
SG: first conjoint draft of sub committee on fundamental rights- the word practice and profess was there, propagate was not there- 'all persons are equally entitled' this was introduced for the first time.
Sabrimala reads equally entitled includes gender equality but my submission would be gender equality is taken care of in Articles 14 and 15
- 7 April 2026 11:55 AM IST
SG: On 27 March, 1947, sub committee accepted Munshi's formulation of anti-conversion. March 31, Rajkumari for herself and Mehta wrote to Sir BN Rao emphasing that many oppressive practices such as child marriage is justified in name of religion. she suggested that we should not have religion but some other word.
- 7 April 2026 11:55 AM IST
SG: recent judgments have concept of patriarchal society etc but it was never there. We are only society that worship ladies. Let us not introduce those concepts of patriarchy and general stereotypes.
J Nagarathna: we call them founding mothers of the Constitution
SG: Hansa Mehta and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur had pointed out if you say right of religion, some religion forbid- they said you will be nullifying all social reforms.