Supreme Court says Hinduism is a way of life during Sabarimala hearing

The Supreme Court observed during hearings related to Sabarimala and religious freedom that Hinduism is a way of life and that visiting temples or performing rituals is not mandatory to remain Hindu. The court also stressed that personal faith cannot be obstructed by others

New Delhi: Observing that Hinduism is a way of life, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said it is not necessary for a Hindu to mandatorily visit a temple or perform rituals in order to remain a Hindu, and even lighting a lamp inside the house is enough to prove one’s belief.

The observation by a nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant came while hearing petitions related to discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple in Kerala, and on the ambit of religious freedom practised by multiple faiths, including Dawoodi Bohras.

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Justices B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi are also part of the nine-judge bench.

As the hearing commenced on the 15th day, advocate Dr G Mohan Gopal, appearing for one of the intervenors, submitted that there has been a demand for social justice emerging from within religious communities.

“Hinduism was defined as a religious category. Thereafter, in 1966, it was held that a Hindu is one who accepts the Vedas as the highest authority in all matters of religion and philosophy. They never asked me. None of us ever said that.

“Now, I have the highest respect for the Vedas and great admiration for them. But is it a fact that every person today classified as Hindu accepts the Vedas as the highest authority in all spiritual and philosophical matters?” he asked.

Responding to his submission, Justice Nagarathna said, “That is why Hinduism is called a way of life. It is not necessary for a Hindu to mandatorily visit a temple or perform a ritual in order to remain a Hindu.”

She said one need not be ritualistic and nobody can come in the way of people having their faith.

The CJI also remarked, “Even if an individual lights a lamp inside his hut, it is enough to prove his religion.” The hearing is underway.

The top court had earlier observed that if individuals start questioning every religious practice or matter of religion before a constitutional court, there would be hundreds of petitions and every religion would “break” due to this.

A five-judge Constitution bench had lifted a ban that prevented women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in a 4:1 majority verdict in September 2018, ruling that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional.