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The word secular describes all the social activities that are not explained by any religious or spiritual factors. Secularism is a concept of treating human rights and duties based on a rational or secular mindset. Secularism is the contrast between the theoretical principles of a religious institution and the drafted laws which are approved by the Parliament. In a secular setting, the public offices are not supposed to promote any particular religion.
Rise of Secular demeanor
One must go through the historical events of medieval Europe if one needs to learn about the roots of secularism. Human activities and social affairs were compared against the predetermined norms mentioned in the Bible. This was a very common ritual until the flag of the Renaissance was hoisted in France. Throughout the western nations rational thinking sprouted in the Renaissance era. The relentless struggle of the wise men and the scholars finally disrupted the traditional religious stagnation in society. The concept of secularism is a precursor of humanism. Italy witnessed numerous humanitarian movements in the late 13th century which later on expanded all over Europe. This was a huge step towards modernization. Secular governance placed human interests first instead of spiritual norms which were treated as de facto laws during the ancient Roman and Greek eras. The law now equally treated all the religious classes.
Secular India
Secular India partially perceives its jurisdiction from the Western secular approach. In 1976, the 42nd amendment of the Indian Constitution was published. This preamble announced that India is a secular country. In 1994, Indians witnessed the first instance where secularism was realized in the jurisdiction. Article 356 of the Indian Constitution hands over the governance of a state to the Union Government if under certain circumstances the state authoritarian body fails to operate as per the Constitutional provisions. The Supreme Court denied the execution of regulations that were mentioned in Article 356. The verdict went in favor of the then Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. S. R. Bommai. Violation of article 356 could be averted because of the effectiveness of the nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India. Indian Secularism was strongly established after this historic action. Schools, colleges, and private tuitions are advised not to provide religious input to the students. Article 27 stops the padres and priests from promoting their religious institutions and messages by collecting tax money.
Secular meaning in the Preamble is mostly inspired by the core principles of humanism. Prime Minister Nehru’s India modernized owing to a transformation in mentality. Indian Secularism varies from the conventional definition of secularism. A secular mindset can never entirely overlook the religious beliefs in our country. Marriage laws differ from one religion to another, though modern law allows formalizing a marriage according to secular law.
Today there are no traces of discrimination in developed rural and urban regions of India. Untouchability is no longer an alarming issue. We can boast of an improvement in intolerance among the Hindu pundits. The Constitution of India has empowered the state governments to curb various harmful religious rights. It is wrong to assume that the Indian Government does not value the country’s culture and religious traditions. The 1975 schedule of the Preamble lists all the religious institutions and charitable trusts under a Concurrent list. As per the Special Provisions Act, since 1958 the respective local governments provide economic aid to reconstruct religious buildings. The religious character of the buildings is not tampered with by any governmental intervention.
Indian Secularism is a controversial topic because of its mixed nature. It does not go hand in hand with the absolute secular approach of the European and Anglo-American nations. Due to its diverging methodology, political critics often refer to it as pseudo-secularism. The primary objective of secular India is to cut out the discrimination of the minor linguistic and religious communities. Secularism is also a determining factor in closing legal discrepancies that involve two or more states simultaneously.
Thus the state governments are entrusted with the responsibility of regulating the actions of temples, masjids, churches, and other religious sites. Under no circumstances the Central Government interferes in the internal affairs of a state in this regard.
Conclusion
Political critics have underlined the marked differences between secular India in comparison to the European norms of secularism. The Indian version of the ideology has earned respect because of its successful journey. Minority and pluralism issues have been resolved to a remarkable scale after the insertion of secular attitudes into society.
