Author(s): Dipanwita Banarjee
Abstract:
The founding father of the Indian constitution always had secularism as a foundation of democratic India. Secularism refers to an idea where citizens are given equal opportunities and status irrespective of religion they profess. Our constitution upholds the doctrine of secularism ; to guarantee all its citizens equal standing no matter whether they perform any religious activities or not. Adhering to any Religion never remained a determining factor for granting citizenship to its people. All rights and privileges are conferred to all the citizens indiscriminately without considering their social, political and economic status. What we look into through this study is to what extent is the idea of secularism related and relevant in today’s politics; with the help of delineating the histories of the evolution theories attached to secularism (both western and Indian perspectives). A detailed discussion about the two different versions of secularism will give a more clear perception in this regard. This paper argues secular ethos requires constitutional morality and pluralism, judicial safeguards to balance state authority and religious freedom.
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