Article 25-28 — Right to Religion

In Mumbai, Ganeshotsav processions, Friday namaz, Christmas at Mount Mary and the Parsi fire temple all share the same city and the same Constitution. One day a municipal officer orders a procession rerouted, another body bans a practice inside a temple, and a school asks every child to attend prayers. Who decides how far religion may go, and when may the State step in? Articles 25 to 28 are the answer, and the answer is never “always” or “never”.

In two minutes

Articles 25 to 28 guarantee freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion to every person (Art. 25), a group right to manage religious affairs (Art. 26), and two protections against State funding and religious instruction (Arts. 27 and 28), all balanced against public order, morality, health and State regulation of secular activity.

The rest of this chapter

The full explanation, the cheat sheet, every previous-year question at every mark weight, the quiz and the answer skeletons are part of Constitutional Law – I on LexBlox Semester. Sign in to unlock the subject, or read Module 1 of Legal Language and Writing free.