Top court dismiss plea linking Assam's Kamakhya temple’s practices to Sabarimala review

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday rebuked a petitioner for citing practices at Assam’s Kamakhya Temple during hearings on the review of the Sabarimala Temple verdict, saying it was not examining individual temple customs.

A nine-judge Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, is currently hearing issues related to religious freedom under Articles 25 and 26, judicial review of faith-based practices and the 2018 Sabarimala judgment.

During the proceedings, an advocate argued that practices such as occultism and animal sacrifice at Kamakhya Temple violated fundamental rights under Article 21. She also sought a review of the Sabarimala ruling, which had allowed entry of women of menstruating age into the shrine.

The petitioner referred to rituals at Kamakhya, including the Ambubachi festival, and highlighted differences in practices compared to Sabarimala. However, the bench questioned the relevance of these arguments.

The Chief Justice asked the counsel to clarify her position on the review petition and whether she represented the temple. When she continued to raise issues related to specific practices, the court intervened.

“We are not going on that dispute. We are on Articles 25 and 26,” the bench said, adding that individual temple practices cannot be brought into the constitutional questions being examined.

The court made it clear that the hearing is focused on broader legal principles governing religious rights and not on adjudicating customs followed by specific temples.