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13 Jul 2026ENVIRONMENT3 questions

Ninety Tonnes of Cloth in Three Weeks: The Madras High Court Meets Article 25

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Article summary

A Madurai bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices G.R. Swaminathan and B. Pugalendhi observed on 9 July 2026 that no one has a right to pollute a water body in the name of religion, holding that the freedom of religion guaranteed by Article 25 is subject to public health. The observation came in Sivanupandian v. District Collector, concerning large-scale dumping of clothes and other articles into the Thamirabarani river during death rituals. The figures placed before the court were substantial: cleaning drives conducted between 7 and 28 May 2026 recovered roughly 86 to 90 tonnes of discarded clothes, along with 1,385 kg of plastic waste, 220 kg of glass bottles, 115 kg of slippers, 700 kg of burnt bricks and 374 kg of sanitary napkins and diapers, while an environmental activist told the court that more than a tonne of clothing enters the river daily after funeral rites. Notably, the bench declined to impose an immediate prohibition, instead inviting religious organisations, devotees and activists to present their views before final orders — an approach that treats the practice as something to be reformed with its community rather than banned over it. The Thamirabarani is one of southern India's few perennial rivers and a principal drinking water source for Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.

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recallTests whether you read the article and retained key facts.
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applicationTests whether you can apply the concept to a new scenario.
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analysisTests whether you can reason across multiple related facts.
1Q

Sample questions — answers revealed after test

ENVIRONMENTRecallEasy

Q1. With reference to the Thamirabarani river, which one of the following statements is correct?

AIt is a perennial river flowing entirely within Tamil Nadu, rising at Agastyarkoodam peak in the Pothigai Hills and running about 128 km to the Gulf of Mannar.
BIt rises in the Eastern Ghats and drains into the Bay of Bengal near Chennai.
CIts name derives from a Tamil word meaning silver, after the pale colour of its waters.
DIt is a seasonal river, flowing only during the north-east monsoon, and is known in Sangam literature as the Kaveri.
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ENVIRONMENTApplicationMedium

Q2. A High Court holds that no one has a right to pollute a water body in the name of religion. On the reasoning adopted, which one of the following best states the constitutional basis for that conclusion?

AArticle 25 stands overridden by Article 48A, a Directive Principle taking precedence over a fundamental right where the environment is concerned.
BReligious practices fall outside the protection of Article 25 altogether once they have any physical effect on public property.
CArticle 25(1) is by its own terms subject to public order, morality and health, so restraining a rite that contaminates a drinking water source applies the provision rather than overriding it.
DThe Court found the practice not to be an essential religious practice, and therefore unprotected by Article 25.
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ENVIRONMENTAnalysisHard

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the Thamirabarani case: 1. The right to a clean environment has been read into Article 21, notably in Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar (1991), while Article 48A directs the State to protect the environment and Article 51A(g) makes it a fundamental duty of every citizen. 2. Cleaning drives conducted between 7 and 28 May 2026 recovered about 86 to 90 tonnes of discarded clothes along with plastic, glass and other waste from the river. 3. The bench imposed an immediate and absolute ban on the conduct of funeral rituals anywhere along the river. Which of the statements given above are correct?

A1 only
B1 and 2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
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