India's Supreme Court (SC) declines to revisit its three-decade-old ruling that 'Hinduism is a way of life', emphasizing the court's role is not to determine ideal religious practices, amidst debates on faith vs fundamental rights in the Sabarimala temple case.
Exit polls for Kerala Assembly elections show a tight race with UDF expected to secure 72 seats and LDF 63 in the 140-seat house. Variations exist across pollsters, testing LDF's bid for a third term amid shifting campaign narratives.
The Supreme Court has indicated that devotees' right to decide the mode and manner of worshipping God may be non-justiciable, seemingly contradicting its earlier judgment that quashed the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple's custom barring women aged 10-50. The bench, led by CJI Surya Kant, appeared to agree with senior advocate J Muth Raj's argument that courts cannot scrutinise the essentiality of various religious practices in Hinduism. Multiple justices emphasized that conscience and faith are private to individuals, with Justice Sundresh stating that the manner of worship is part of conscience and a space private to the devotee and God.
The Supreme Court's nine-judge Constitution bench hearing the Sabarimala temple gender discrimination case said it cannot rely on information from 'WhatsApp University,' responding to senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul who cited Shashi Tharoor's article on judicial restraint. Justice BV Nagarathna made the remark during arguments on the scope of religious freedom across faiths. The bench is revisiting a 2018 ruling that lifted the ban on women aged 10-50 from entering the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
