• Dr. Anju Sinha

Abstract The recent Sabarimala judgement that was passed by the Supreme Court opening the doors of the holy compound to a gender that had been discriminated against for several years by restricting the women’s entry belonging to a particular age group has been the centre of huge debates and controversies raising questions like “Is the Supreme Court allowed to interfere in religious matters. State’s approach to handle religious matters has been to maintain a “principle distance” which meant to provide religions their freedoms to operate in a self-governed manner. But, that is only till the religious practices do not contravene factors put forth by the Welfare State like public order, morality that ensure the holistic development of all communities and individuals. The Supreme Court overturning it’s previous 1992 judgement banning women from entering Sabarimala stated that the previous judgement was unconstitutional and discriminatory and held that women’s exclusion from religious worship is violative of constitutional values of equality, dignity, liberty and contrary to constitutional morality. Hence, the religious freedoms only exist to a point where they are not violating the public morality, welfare, or the overall integration of members of society. This paper will be discussing issues like why these religious freedoms were developed in the first place, what happens when these religious freedoms are restricted by a State machinery and to what limit is intervention by the state justified.  

Sabarimala judgement , gender,State’s approach ,religious freedoms ,intervention

"Intervention of Judiciary in Religious Matters; The Sabarimala Judgement", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.27-41, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906Q05.pdf

"Intervention of Judiciary in Religious Matters; The Sabarimala Judgement", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp27-41, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906Q05.pdf