Phase IFoundation
Background
Overview
It's a recurring theme in Indian polity, involving the interpretation of fundamental rights, secularism, and the judiciary's role in defining religious practices. It often leads to conflicts between individual rights and state regulations, testing the balance of constitutional principles.
Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality, and health. The Essential Religious Practice (ERP) doctrine, evolved by the Supreme Court, determines which practices are integral to a religion and thus protected under Article 25.