India, March 30 -- The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has told the Supreme Court that courts should refrain from determining what constitutes an "essential religious practice", cautioning that such judicial scrutiny may amount to encroachment upon the religious freedom guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

The submission is before the nine-judge bench, scheduled to hear the women's entry in mosques, certain temples and Parsi temples.

In its written submissions filed in the Sabarimala reference case, the Board argued that identification of the "core" of a religion is inherently subjective and dependent on the beliefs of followers, and therefore unsuitable for judicial determination. The reference arises o...