The Delhi High Court has upheld the dismissal of an Officer of the Indian Army who refused to enter the innermost parts of places of worship of other religions during official functions/celebrations held on festivals of those religions.
While not taking any side in the
matter, it may be clarified for the readers here that the Indian Army, depending
upon troop composition of various regiments, jointly celebrates festivals of
various faiths such as Diwali, Christmas, Eid, Gurupurab etc, which troop
leaders are expected to attend, even if not directly participating in the religious
activities.
The judgment has been reported by
Bar & Bench here.
Before proceeding to discuss the
merits of the issue, in Para 56 of the judgment, the Delhi High Court states
the following:
“At the outset, we salute and
acknowledge the dedication of those who guard our borders day and night in
adverse conditions. The ethos of our Armed Forces places nation before self;
and certainly, nation before religion. Our Armed Forces comprise of personnel
of all religions, castes, creeds, regions, and faiths, whose sole motto is to
safeguard the country from external aggressions, and, therefore, they are
united by their uniform rather than divided by their religion, caste, or
region.”
While this case might not be the
last word on the issue, it remains to be seen if it is challenged before the
Supreme Court of India.
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