Sabarimala Case

The Sabarimala case refers to a landmark Supreme Court judgment that declared the customary exclusion of women aged 10 to 50 from the Sabarimala shrine unconstitutional, holding that individual dignity and equality supersede discriminatory religious traditions.

• It highlighted the constitutional tension between individual rights under Articles 14, 15, and 21 and religious denominational autonomy under Article 26.
• It firmly established the doctrine of constitutional morality as a benchmark over public morality and entrenched social customs.
• It triggered a larger judicial discourse on the limits and application of the Essential Religious Practices doctrine across various faiths.

UPSC frames questions on this topic under GS Paper II to evaluate a candidate's grasp on constitutional morality, gender justice, and judicial review in religious matters. Questions often ask candidates to critically analyze the balance between freedom of religion under Article 25 and freedom of denominational management under Article 26. Candidates are expected to present an objective, legally grounded analysis of the judiciary's role as a reformer versus its restraint under the Essential Religious Practices doctrine.

• Indian Constitution GS2
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism, secularism GS1

• Adultery Law
• Article 370
• Ayodhya Dispute
• Right to Privacy
• Section 377
• Triple Talaq