In the ongoing Sabarimala reference before a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court, various Jain organizations have argued for the protection of the internal autonomy of religious denominations. Their primary contention is that the term 'morality' used in Article 25 of the Constitution of India must be interpreted as 'religious' or 'social morality' rather than 'Constitutional morality.' They argue that the power to regulate or reform religious practices should reside within the community of adherents, rather than being subject to challenges by outsiders. This submission emphasizes that allowing non-adherents to challenge the core practices of a faith could undermine the collective freedom of religion and the right of every religious denomination to manage its own affairs as guaranteed under Article 26.
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