Supreme Court Sabarimala प्रतिबंध की पुनः जाँच – CJI Surya Kant के सामने 7 संवैधानिक प्रश्न

Key Insight

Supreme Court’s nine‑judge review of Sabarimala spotlights the clash of religious freedom and gender equality.

Key Facts

1. On 7 April 2026, the Supreme Court reconstituted a nine‑judge bench to review the 2018 IYLA vs Kerala verdict on Sabarimala.
2. The bench is headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, marking the first nine‑judge panel on a single religious‑freedom case.
3. Seven specific constitutional questions have been framed, covering Articles 25, 26, the scope of "morality", and the meaning of "sections of Hindus".
4. Justice Indu Malhotra, who dissented in 2018, argued that religious freedom under Article 25 cannot be overridden by Article 14 equality.
5. The review will also examine whether a non‑member of a religious denomination can file a PIL challenging its practices.
6. The case revisits the doctrine of Essential Religious Practices (ERP) and its interplay with Articles 14, 15 and 17.

Background

The Sabarimala dispute pits the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom (Arts 25‑26) against gender‑equality provisions (Arts 14, 15, 17). It tests the judiciary's role in defining "essential religious practice" and the reach of constitutional morality, a core topic in GS‑2 Polity.

UPSC Syllabus

• Essay — Philosophy, Ethics and Human Values
• Prelims_GS — Constitution and Political System
• GS2 — Historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
• GS2 — Comparison with other countries constitutional schemes
• Essay — Youth, Health and Welfare
• Essay — Society, Gender and Social Justice
• GS4 — Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions
• GS2 — Executive and Judiciary - structure, organization and functioning
• GS2 — Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections
• GS2 — Functions and responsibilities of Union and States

Mains Angle