JUDGMENT

Rajendra Babu, CJI.-The State of Andhra Pradesh enacted the Andhra Pradesh Charitable & Hindu Religious Institutions & Endowments Act, 1987 [hereinafter referred to as the Act ] providing for abolition of all rights whether hereditary, contractual or otherwise of any person who is an Archaka or a Mirasidar or a Mathadhipati or any other office holder of office in any religious institution. The provisions of the Act were challenged in the writ petitions filed before the Andhra Pradesh High Court and under Article 32 of the Constitution before this Court on several grounds, including that the said provisions are violative of Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution as interfering with the Right to Freedom of Religion. Some of the writ petitions filed before the High Court were transferred to this Court. On 19.3.1996 this Court disposed of these matters by upholding the validity of the Act. Apart from rejecting the challenge to the enactment, this Court gave certain directions to the State Government to frame a scheme pursuant to which further orders were passed by this Court.

2. The basic point raised in these review petitions is that this Court has in several decisions explain