Essential Religious Practices (ERP) Test
The Essential Religious Practices test is a judicially evolved doctrine used to determine whether a particular practice is integral to a religion — and thus protected under Articles 25 and 26 — or merely an optional or denominational custom that may be reformed. The test was first articulated in Commissioner, Hindu Religious Endowments v. Sri Lakshmindra Thirtha Swamiar of Sri Shirur Mutt (1954) — the "Shirur Mutt case."
- Under the ERP test, courts examine whether a practice is "essential" to a religion by looking at religious scriptures, historical evidence, and the belief of the community — a task critics argue requires religious scholarship beyond a court's mandate.
- The 2018 Sabarimala majority held that the exclusion of women was not an essential religious practice.
- The "sampradaya test" — determining whether an exclusion is part of the specific lineage or sect's tradition — is distinct from but related to the ERP test; petitioners in the 2026 review argue the 2018 verdict failed to apply the sampradaya test properly.
- The nine-judge bench may redefine the scope of the ERP test or evolve an alternative constitutional framework.
● Tracked since April 08, 2026 · last seen May 12, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
See it in today’s brief.
Daily current affairs with every static concept explained in place.
Read the daily brief