The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea that called for a single “constitutional religion” in India, questioning the petitioner about his intent to prevent people from practicing their own religious beliefs. A bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia asked the petitioner’s motivation behind such a filing.
“You say there should be one constitutional religion. Can you prevent people from following their own religions? What is this?” the bench told the petitioner, who appeared in person.
Petitioners-in-person are individuals or lawyers appearing in their individual capacity before a court. They have to obtain permission from the court’s registrar before appearing as a petitioner-in-person. The petition was jointly filed by Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Manveer Singh.
The petitioner, identifying himself as a social activist, informed the bench that he had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) under Article 32 of the Constitution on behalf of the Indian people, seeking the establishment of “one constitutional religion.”
The court questioned the basis for such a request, to which the petitioner did not provide a substantial response. The petition apparently sought the annulment of a constitutional order from 1950, although it did not specify which constitutional order it was referring to.
Article 32 of the Constitution grants citizens the right to approach the Supreme Court if they believe their fundamental rights have been violated through appropriate legal proceedings. Ultimately, the court dismissed the petition.
