Overview
- The nine-judge Supreme Court bench, which warned Thursday that routine challenges to religious practices could “break” religion, pressed on with the Sabarimala reference with arguments to continue next week.
- Petitioners challenging Dawoodi Bohra excommunication said the practice causes “civil death” by cutting people off from community spaces, burial grounds, work, and even marriage.
- In submissions on alleged female genital mutilation in parts of the Dawoodi Bohra community, lawyers argued it violates girls’ bodily autonomy and health, and a judge noted Article 25 permits limits on religion for health.
- Kerala’s counsel told the court that when deciding what counts as an essential religious practice, judges should rely on evidence from within the faith rather than substitute their own theology.
- The reference arises from the 2018 Sabarimala ruling and now reexamines the ‘essential practices’ test and the reach of Articles 25 and 26, a reset that could shape disputes across multiple communities.