Supreme Court Observer

🌄 Good Morning! 9️⃣ On Day 7 of the Sabarimala Reference, review petitioners argued that social welfare legislations cannot eviscerate the character of religious denominations. Read: https://bit.ly/48gRANR ⚖️ Amidst uproar over women’s reservation in Parliament, two Supreme Court orders signal winds of change: https://bit.ly/48dVnLU 👥 How did the Supreme Court Collegium come to be? How many judges of the have been a part of it? Our series brings you the answers. Members of the Collegium since 1993: https://bit.ly/4crAqPS History of the Collegium: https://bit.ly/3QfJZce

The 9-judge Bench concluded the morning session of Day 7 in the Sabarimala Reference after hearing arguments from Senior Advocates Gopal Subramanium and Aryama Sundaram. Subramanium submitted that the essential religious practices doctrine can operate as an assistive tool instead of determining the validity of a practice. Sundaram argued that principles of equality under Article 14 does not apply to the freedom of religion under Article 25, unless expressly provided. Hearings resume at 2 PM. Follow our live coverage for the latest updates: https://x.com/scobserver/status/2046818370688004355?s=20

🌅 Good Morning! 👥 In the second part of our Collegium series, we bring you a brief history of how and why the Supreme Court Collegium came to be. Read: https://bit.ly/3QfJZce 1️⃣ Read Part One here: https://bit.ly/4crAqPS ⚖️ Day 6 arguments in the Sabarimala Reference addressed the Court’s role when a devotee’s claim to worship contrasts the practices followed in a temple. Read: https://bit.ly/4tqqNXF 📬 Volume 4 Issue 3 of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) brings you five important judgments from last week. Read: https://bit.ly/4u0jlmb

On Day 6, a nine-judge bench, led by CJI Surya Kant, including Justices B.V. Nagarathna, M.M. Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, A.G. Masih, P.B. Varale, R. Mahadevan, and Joymalya Bagchi, will continue to hear arguments on the review of the entry of women to the Sabarimala Temple. Day 6 Report (To-be updated): https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-reference-day-6/ Follow this thread to get live updates of the hearing: https://x.com/scobserver/status/2046456109922427143?s=20

🌅 Good Morning! ⚖️ Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to continue hearing the Sabarimala Reference. On Day 5, the Court considered whether it can go beyond religion into questions of conscience, and whether the essential religious practices (ERP) doctrine can still govern claims under Articles 25 and 26. Read: https://bit.ly/4tHCTve 👩🏽‍⚖️ Amidst uproar over women’s reservation in Parliament, we write about two recent Supreme Court orders that signal winds of change. Read: https://bit.ly/4tWKDK1 📬 Volume 4 Issue 3 of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) brings you five important judgments from 13 April to 17 April 2026. Read: https://bit.ly/4u0jlmb

🌅 Good Morning! 🌐 In our analysis on the use of AI in the Supreme Court, we write that what is at stake is not simply efficiency, but the ability to locate responsibility within the system. Read: https://bit.ly/4dNjKUa ⚖️ On Day 5 of the Sabarimala Reference, Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan argued that the Court’s essential religious practice doctrine has become “unworkable” and highlighted the lack of a consistent standard in the 2018 judgement. https://bit.ly/4tHCTve ⏲️ Taking notice of executive delay in the trial courts in a recent case, the Supreme Court described it as “a classic case where the right to speedy trial has been thrown to winds” Read: https://bit.ly/42cMyyh

On Day 5, the nine-judge Bench, led by CJI Surya Kant, including Justices B.V. Nagarathna, M.M. Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, A.G. Masih, P.B. Varale, R. Mahadevan, and Joymalya Bagchi, will continue to hear arguments on the reference in the entry of women to the Sabarimala Temple. Follow this thread to get live updates of the hearing. Day 5 Report (To-be updated): https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-review-day-5/ Folllow this X thread to get live updates of th hearing: https://x.com/scobserver/status/2045008577128202531

🌸 Good Morning! 📱 What do legal practitioners and professionals have to say about the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in the listing of cases at the Supreme Court? Find out here: https://bit.ly/4dNjKUa 9️⃣ Today, the Supreme Court is scheduled to continue hearing arguments in the Sabarimala Reference. Previously, Senior Advocate AM Singhvi argued that courts cannot test religious beliefs on external standards. Read: https://bit.ly/4tHCTve 🗳️ Yesterday, the Supreme Court directed that appellants in the West Bengal SIR who received successful orders in the Appellate Tribunals could vote in the West Bengal elections. Read: https://bit.ly/4mCyrvC ⏲️ On 13 April, the Supreme Court issued notice in a bail plea and questioned executive delay in courts by relying on statistics produced in the trial court roznama. Read: https://bit.ly/42cMyyh

🪻 Good Morning! 9️⃣ Yesterday, Senior Advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the Travancore Devaswom Board, argued that entry of women was prohibited in Sabarimala Temple to preserve Lord Ayyappa’s character of a naishtika brahmachari: https://bit.ly/4tHCTve ⚖️ On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed death sentences awarded to three convicts and directed the Karnataka government to file mitigation reports in their cases within 16 weeks. Read: https://bit.ly/3QD0MG2 👨🏻‍⚖️ Yesterday, Justice Rajesh Bindal retired after serving a tenure of 3 years as a judge of the Supreme Court: https://bit.ly/3O1FO32 ✏️ Justice Bindal’s notable judgements: https://bit.ly/4vzhB4L 📈 Justice Bindal’s tenure in numbers: https://bit.ly/4sGFtRB

🌅 Good Morning! 9️⃣ A nine-judge Constitution Bench is scheduled to resume hearings in the Sabarimala Reference today. Last week, SG Tushar Mehta submitted that customs prohibiting entry of women to the temple are not discriminatory: https://bit.ly/4t0MNrU ⚖️ On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed death sentences awarded to three convicts. Our analysis breaks down the grounds under which the sentencing was reopened: https://bit.ly/3QD0MG2 📬 Our latest issue of Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) shortlists five unmissable judgements from last week: https://bit.ly/4sBWpsh 👨‍⚖️ Justice Rajesh Bindal retires today after a three year long tenure at the Court. Stay tuned for his notable judgements and his tenure analysis in numbers! Our profile: https://bit.ly/3O1FO32

☕️ Good Morning! 👨🏻‍⚖️ Justice Yashwant Varma’s withdrawal letter to the Parliamentary Committee points to three specific evidentiary failings of the inquiry. We explain. Read: https://bit.ly/4tNRJRe 🏛️ Justice Varma’s resignation is the third instance where the accountability mechanism failed to reach its legal conclusion, leaving open an unresolved constitutional lacuna: https://bit.ly/4sy5HWa 🗳️ In the West Bengal SIR, the Court observed that while concerns of exclusion from electoral rolls have been raised, the statutory appellate framework cannot be bypassed through interim directions. Hearing report: https://bit.ly/480S4Y9 📬 Volume 4 Issue 2 of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports (SCO.LR) is here! In this Issue, we have shortlisted five key judgements from 6 April to 10 April 2026. Read: https://bit.ly/4sBWpsh

🌅 Good Morning! 👨🏻‍⚖️ Last week Justice Yashwant Varma, facing impeachment proceedings, resigned from the Allahabad High Court. This exit revives a constitutional question that has remained unresolved for 15 years. Read: https://bit.ly/4sy5HWa ⚖️ This week, a nine-judge constitution bench is scheduled to continue hearing the Sabaribala Review. Last week, the Union government argued against the Court’s intervention in disputes concerning essential religious practices: https://bit.ly/4t0MNrU 📖 In his autobiography, Senior Advocate K.K. Venugopal describes the Supreme Court proceedings before and after the Babri demolition. Our excerpt: https://bit.ly/48FpZWz

A nine-judge Constitution Bench heard arguments this week against the 2018 decision permitting entry of women to the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. Our hearing reports capture the Union government’s stand on the Essential Religious Practices doctrine, constitutional morality, and menstruation as a form of untouchability. Day 1: https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-review-day-1-of-the-9-judge-constitution-bench-hearing/ Day 2: https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-review-day-2/ Day 3: https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-review-day-3-parties-in-favour-of-reference-to-continue-arguments/ Stay tuned for Day 4 next week!

🪴 Good Morning! 🛕 Yesterday, the Union outlined the scope of religious rights and the role of a religious denomination in the Sabarimala reference. The Bench repeatedly questioned the limits of judicial intervention in disputes over religious practices: https://bit.ly/4t0MNrU 📚 In “An Accidental Lawyer”, Senior Advocate K.K. Venugopal describes the Supreme Court proceedings surrounding the Babri demolition in 1992. Our excerpt from his book: https://bit.ly/48FpZWz 🌐 The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has invited feedback on the draft amendments to the IT Rules 2021 by 14 April. In our newsletter, we examine what they would mean for the digital media landscape. Read: https://bit.ly/4m9AQgY

We bring you the first publicly available dataset on Collegium membership in Supreme Court history. YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/xvDkbamjogQ?si=mIXGxjbaFuiPAYRX Insta: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW6GqEIjqKI/?igsh=N2hpaXgyMXg2cmc1 Access the complete data-set here: https://bit.ly/4crAqPS Stay tuned for the upcoming parts to this series!

On Day 3 of the Sabarimala Review, a nine-judge bench, led by CJI Surya Kant, including Justices Nagarathna, Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, A.G. Masih, P.B. Varale, R. Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, will hear submissions by parties in favour of the review. Follow thread for live updates from the hearing https://x.com/scobserver/status/2042106655283015906

☀️ Good Morning! 9️⃣ Yesterday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta concluded arguments in the Sabarimala Reference and critiqued the Courts use of “constitutional morality” in cases involving religion. Read: https://bit.ly/4tFLvmq ⚖️ The Supreme Court did not maintain a public record of the Collegium’s membership or resolutions until 2017. To bridge this gap, we bring you the first publicly available dataset on Collegium membership in Supreme Court history: https://bit.ly/4crAqPS 📬 Our new Issue of the Supreme Court Observer Law Reports, brings five important judgements from last week. Read: https://bit.ly/4sZ6GzQ

We are set to report on Day 2 of the Sabarimala Review hearing. Follow our live tweets on X for real-time updates on the arguments and observations from the Court. Report (To be updated): https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-review-day-2/ X Live Tweet Link: https://x.com/scobserver/status/2041741065502519504