CURRENT AFFAIRS | LEGAL | 29 APRIL 2026
CLAT LEGAL REASONING | Article 25(2)(a) | Sabarimala Reference
A 9-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Surya Kant made a sharp observation on 28 April 2026 while hearing the Sabarimala reference: roads and other public spaces cannot be blocked in the name of religious activities, and the State retains constitutional power under Article 25(2)(a) to regulate any “secular activity which may be associated with religious practice.” The bench — also examining gender-based restrictions in religious places, entry of Muslim women into dargahs, and the Dawoodi Bohra excommunication doctrine — drew a doctrinal line between protected religious autonomy and the State’s power to police the secular aspects that touch public order, gender equality, and use of public infrastructure.
Background
The reference originated from the 4-1 Sabarimala judgment in Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala (2018), which struck down the bar on entry of women aged 10-50 to the Lord Ayyappa temple. A 5-judge review (2019) referred a bouquet of religion-vs-equality questions to a 9-judge bench. After years of pendency, the bench was reconstituted under CJI Surya Kant in 2026 and began substantive hearings in April. The current observations on roads-and-religion came on Day 9 of arguments. The verdict will affect not just Sabarimala but pending matters on dargah entry, female genital mutilation in the Bohra community, and excommunication of Parsi women married outside the faith.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Bench: CJI Surya Kant + Justices BV Nagarathna, MM Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, AG Masih, PB Varale, R Mahadevan, Joymalya Bagchi.
- Origin: Sabarimala review (2019) — 7 questions referred to a larger bench.
- Article in spotlight: Article 25(2)(a) — State can regulate or restrict “any economic, financial, political or other secular activity associated with religious practice.”
- Doctrinal test: “Essential Religious Practices” — first laid down in the Shirur Mutt case (1954).
- Pending impact: Sabarimala women’s entry, dargah/mosque entry for women, Dawoodi Bohra excommunication, FGM in Bohra community, Parsi women’s intermarriage rights.
Constitutional / Legal Framework
- Article 25(1) — freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion, subject to public order, morality, health.
- Article 25(2)(a) — State can regulate secular activities associated with religious practice.
- Article 25(2)(b) — State can throw open Hindu religious institutions of a public character to all classes/sections of Hindus.
- Article 26 — denominational rights to manage their own religious affairs (subject to public order, morality, health).
- Article 19(1)(d) — right of free movement throughout India; reasonable restrictions under 19(5).
- Landmark cases: Shirur Mutt (1954) — ERP test; Durgah Committee, Ajmer (1961) — superstition not ‘essential’; Bijoe Emmanuel (1986) — silence as conscience; Indian Young Lawyers Association (2018) — Sabarimala.
CLAT Relevance
- Legal Reasoning passage potential: Article 25(2)(a) “secular activity associated with religion” — perfect for application MCQs (e.g., temple finances, public processions, encroachment on roads).
- Trap to avoid: “Essential Religious Practices” is a judicially evolved test, NOT in the Constitution’s text.
- Doctrinal angle: Religious autonomy v. constitutional morality — recurring CLAT theme post-Sabarimala.
- Comparative GK: US — Lemon test for Establishment Clause; UK — no codified separation. India’s secularism = ‘principled distance’ (Bhargava).
- Trivia: 9-judge benches are rare — the last one before this was the Aadhaar/Right-to-Privacy bench (2017, Puttaswamy).
Test Yourself
Quiz on Article 25, Sabarimala reference and essential religious practices:
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