The Supreme Court has commenced the hearing in the long-pending Sabarimala temple entry review along with a batch of connected matters, which raise significant constitutional questions concerning the scope of religious freedom, the doctrine of essential religious practices and the limits of judicial intervention in matters of faith.

The nine-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi, BV Nagarathna, R Mahadevan, MM Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, AG Masih, and Prasanna B Varale, will examine key issues such as the scope of the right to freedom of religion under Article 25 and its interplay with denominational rights under Article 26.