Supreme Court Observer

🌄 Good Morning! 🗳️ Last week, the Supreme Court refused to intervene in petitions seeking permission to vote in the West Bengal elections on account of appeals against deletion being pending in the West Bengal SIR exercise. Read: https://bit.ly/4vTEW1o ⚖️ On Day 8 of the Sabarimala Reference, the Supreme Court inquired about the limits of judicial review in matters of religion and determining religious practices. Read: https://bit.ly/42oPuIb 📄 “A generation of Indian legal scholars and journalists, including many who write for this publication, are his intellectual grandchildren, whether they name him or not.” Our farewell to jurist Marc Galanter. Read: https://bit.ly/48lyeap

🌻 Good Morning! ⚖️ “A generation of Indian legal scholars and journalists, including many who write for this publication, are his intellectual grandchildren, whether they name him or not.” Our farewell to Marc Galanter: https://bit.ly/48lyeap 9️⃣ On Day 8 of the Sabarimala Reference, review petitioners argued on denominational autonomy, the scope of social reform in religious practices, and the scope of judicial review. Read: https://bit.ly/42oPuIb 📊 In Part 1 of our Collegium series, we brought you the first publicly available dataset on the membership of the Supreme Court Collegium since its establishment in 1993. Read: https://bit.ly/4crAqPS 📈 In Part 2, we write about how and why the Supreme Court Collegium came to be. Read: https://bit.ly/3QfJZce

On Day 8, 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. Follow this thread to get live updates of the hearing. Day 8 Report (To-be updated) https://www.scobserver.in/reports/sabarimala-reference-day-8/ Follow this X thread to get live updates from the hearing.

🌄 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!