A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court has commenced the final hearing on petitions relating to discrimination against women at religious places, including Sabarimala Temple, and on the ambit and scope of religious freedom practised by multiple faiths.
The Bench is set to specifiically look into Articles 25 and 26 that deal with freedom of religion and religious denomination.
Read: Social ill cannot be branded as ‘religious practice’, says Supreme Court on maiden day of Sabarimala reference hearing
In the previous hearing on Tuesday (April 7, 2026), Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for Centre said restricting a particular gender within a specifc age group from entering a place of worship is not discrimination.
The Constitution Bench comprised Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices B.V. Nagarathna, M.M. Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B. Varale, R. Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi.
