Is India a Secular Nation?: Text of Undelivered Late B G Deshmukh Memorial Lecture 2016

• Published in: Economic and political weekly
• Main Author: Godbole, Madhav
• Format: Journal Article Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mumbai Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd 09-04-2016
• Subjects: Committees; Constitutional law; Hindus; Muslims; Nehru, Jawaharlal; Nehru, Jawaharlal (1889-1964); Political parties; Religion; Secularism; India; Nepal
• ISSN: 0012-9976

[...]the discussion in the Constituent Assembly shows that a political decision to incorporate this provision was taken in the Congress Party meeting and it was merely formalised in the Constituent Assembly by putting forth spacious and unconvincing arguments. Since the proposals are aimed at strengthening secularism, they are not adversely affected by the injunction of the Supreme Court on non-amendability of the provisions pertaining to secularism. [9] If the same logic is extended to secularism, since the word 'secular' has not been defined, does it mean that India is not secular? Since secularism has been declared by the Supreme Court as a part of the basic structure of the Constitution, governments, both at the centre and in the states, must be made accountable for implementing it. [...]Indian judiciary has emerged as the world's most powerful judiciary with even matters pertaining to appointments of high court and Supreme Court judges coming entirely under the Supreme Court.