Sabarimala Temple

On 28 September 2018, a 4:1 majority of the Supreme Court held that barring women of menstruating age from entering the Sabarimala temple was unconstitutional.

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The bench ruled that such a practice violated women's fundamental rights to freedom of religion, equality, and liberty. In a concurring opinion, Justice Chandrachud observed that restricting women's entry was not an "essential religious practice" and that Lord Ayyappa's followers did not constitute a “religious denomination” under Article 26. However, Justice Chandrachud questioned the Court's reliance on the Essential Religious Practices (ERP) doctrine, suggesting it is problematic for the Court to act as an arbiter of essential practices, preferring instead to test religious practices solely against fundamental rights. In her dissent, Justice Indu Malhotra ar