Religious practices of various faiths

Religious practices of various faiths

Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – Secularism

In news:

• Whether certain essential religious practices of various faiths, including Islam and Zoroastrianism, should be constitutionally protected?

In past: Women devotees of menstruating age were not permitted to worship here, out of respect to the celibate nature of the deity in this temple.

1991 : A Kerala high-court judgement had legalized this Ban , and forbade women from entering the temple 

In 2018 : The Constitution bench of the Supreme Court held that any exception placed on women because of biological differences violates the Constitution – that the ban violates the right to equality under Article 14, and freedom of religion under Article 25

From Prelims Point of View:

Article 14 :

• State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. 
• Article 14 of our constitution provides that no one is above the law of the land.
•  Rule of the Law derived from Article 14 of the constitution. 
• The article 14 aims to establish the “Equality of Status and Opportunity” as embodied in the Preamble of the Constitution.

Article 25 :

• No discrimination against anyone on grounds of faith,
• Separation of religion from politics,
• Acceptance of religion as purely and strictly private affairs of individuals having nothing to do with the State.

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 4th February 2020

SRC: The Hindu