New Delhi, April 18 -- The Supreme Court was today told that certain constitutional principles must be laid down for determining freedom of religion and that it cannot be left to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
It was also submitted that the doctrine of essential religious practices was not created by the Court but evolved over time through judicial pronouncements.
Addressing a nine-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing one of the petitioners, said that the term "essential religious practices" was first used by a former Attorney General and later came to be reflected in judicial pronouncements as far back as the mid-sixties, when it was held that courts may carefully ...