Q. Regarding the rights of religious denominations under Article 26, consider the following statements:
1.Every religious denomination has the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes and to manage its own affairs in matters of religion.
2.Unlike Article 25, the rights under Article 26 are not subject to “Health” as a ground for restriction.
3.The Supreme Court held that to qualify as a ‘religious denomination’, a group must have a common faith, a common organization, and a distinctive name.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. This is the core of collective religious freedom.
- Statement 2: Incorrect. Article 26 is subject to Public order, Morality, and Health (same as Art 25, though Art 25 has additional restrictions related to other Fundamental Rights).
- Statement 3: Correct. In the Acharya Jagdishwaranand case (Ananda Marga case), the SC laid down these three criteria for a group to be called a denomination.
