India's Supreme Court reserves judgment in Sabarimala temple case

After a 16‑day hearing that began on April 7, a nine‑judge Constitution bench of the Indian Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the Sabarimala temple entry dispute on May 14. The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and including Justices B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, revisited the constitutional questions raised by the 2018 ruling that allowed women of all ages to enter the shrine.

Counsel for the Centre argued that Article 25(1) does not itself guarantee gender equality, while senior advocates highlighted the distinct roles of Articles 15, 16, 25 and 26 and the balance between individual rights and denominational protections. The bench also examined broader issues of religious freedom that could affect other cases involving Muslim women’s entry to dargahs, excommunication in Parsi and Dawoodi Bohra communities, and related constitutional doctrines. No final decision was announced, but the hearings are expected to shape future jurisprudence on religious practices and constitutional morality in India.