Overview
- The nine-judge bench, which resumed Day 8 on Thursday, cautioned against casual evidence, joking it would not accept “WhatsApp University.”
- Following Wednesday’s exchanges, the court said it will not set universal rules for faith disputes and will decide such questions case by case.
- The judges said it is very hard for any court to label rituals as “essential,” noting that practices that breach public order, morality or health cannot claim protection.
- Chief Justice Surya Kant said courts can review state laws or actions taken in the name of social welfare or reform even as judicial power over theology remains limited.
- The hearings flow from the 2018 decision that opened Sabarimala to women of all ages and now test how Articles 25 and 26 balance individual worship rights, denominational control and issues such as excommunication.