Context: The Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the Karnataka government’s decision to invite Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq, a Muslim, to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara festivities.
The Court reminded the petitioner of the Preamble, which enshrines secularism, liberty of thought and faith, equality, and fraternity as core ideals of the Indian Constitution.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Preamble, Article 25, landmark cases related to secularism.
Mains: Indian model of secularism.
Supreme Court’s Ruling
- The Court noted that the inauguration was a State function and not a purely religious ritual, and hence no citizen could be excluded on the basis of religion.
- Denying participation on religious grounds violates the Preamble’s ideals of equality and fraternity.
- The Court reaffirmed the M. Ismail Faruqui (1994) case judgment,“the State has no religion of its own and must act with neutrality”
Constitutional Position on Secularism
India follows a model of secularism that ensures respect for all religions while maintaining State neutrality.
- The Preamble explicitly declares India to be a secular State (42nd Amendment, 1976).
- Secularism has been upheld as part of the basic structure of the Constitution in Kesavananda Bharati (1973) and S.R. Bommai (1994).
- Article 25 guarantees freedom of religion while allowing the State to regulate secular activities associated with religious practice.
- In R.C. Poudyal (1993), the Court observed that secularism means equal treatment of all religions without discrimination.
- In Dr. Balram Singh v. Union of India (2024), the Court held that secularism allows the State to intervene to eliminate practices that impede equality and development.
The Mysuru Dasara judgment underlines that Indian secularism is not about a rigid separation of religion from the State, but about principled equidistance and equal respect for all faiths.
Also Read: What makes the Indian Constitution Secular?