12.10.13

J&K HC on Secularism

The Jammu and Kashmir high court has directed the Centre and the chief election commissioner to act against politicians who seek people’s mandate by invoking religious nationalism to prevent them from subverting the Constitution.
“In our constitutional philosophy, there is only one ‘ism’, that is Indianism. All other ‘ism’s are enemies of Indianism. Any person claiming to be Hindu nationalist, Muslim nationalist, Sikh nationalist, Buddhist nationalist or Christian nationalist is not only working against Indianism but against the very thought of India,” Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar said.
Disposing of a petition filed by Kashmiri Pandits seeking protection of their religious places, Justice Attar observed that it appears that “in terms of the Constitution, which guarantees all the rights, which include right to practice and profess one’s religion and faith, there was no requirement of bringing in expression ‘secularism’ in the preamble.” This expression has... divided people… into different pigeon holes of different ‘ism’s”, posing a threat to the very existence of the idea of India, he said. 

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