Importance Of Right To Freedom Of Religion

The Indian Constitution, through Articles 25 – 26, guarantees the right to freedom of religion to each citizen of the nation. According to this particular article, each individual or community residing in India can choose what religion to follow, practice, observe and worship without any social, legal, political, or any other kind of interference. 

Articles 25 – 28 stating the right to freedom of religion:

Here explained are all Articles 25 to 28 of the Indian Constitution that guarantees the right to freedom of religion:

Article 25 (Freedom of conscience, professing, practicing, and propagating the religion)

Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of conscience, professing, practicing, and propagating any religion to all nation’s people. 

• The provision of this article is not absolute. The state is authorized to take specific measures if there is a disruption to public order, health, and morality.
• The state is authorized to regulate and restrict any economic, financial, political, or other secular affair connected to any religious practice.
• This special authorization enables the state to take appropriate measures for social welfare and reforms related to any religious practice.
• For example, the state can take appropriate measures to open Hindu temples or gurudwaras (Sikh temples) for all sections of Hindu society and Sikh society, respectively. Another example can be allowing the people practicing the Sikh religion to wear and carry the kirpan at the place of their profession. 

Article 26 (Freedom to manage religious affairs)

This particular article, as stated in the Indian Constitution provides that each religious denomination has the below-mentioned rights subject to health, morality, and public order.

• Each citizen of the country has the right to form and maintain institutions for the purpose of carrying out religious and charitable activities.
• Every citizen has the right to manage their affairs when it comes to religious matters.
• The religious denomination has the right to acquire both immovable and movable properties.
• They have the right to administer the acquired properties according to the provision of law.

Article 27 (Freedom as to pay taxes for promotion of any specific religion)

According to Article 27, as stated in the Indian Constitution, the state can’t bound the people to pay taxes for promoting any particular region or maintaining religious institutions. It is on the free will of an individual to pay for the taxes when it comes to promoting any specific religion. 

Article 28 (Freedom to attend religious instructions or religious worship in particular educational institutions)

According to Article 28, as stated in the Indian Constitution, each educational institution-owned or managed by any religious group is free to disseminate religious instructions. In addition to this, this article also specifies the below-mentioned points:

• The educational institutions receiving funding from the state are not authorized to disseminate religious instructions.
• Educational institutions that are financially supported by the state but were established by an endowment or trust desiring to impart religious instructions are exempted from the restriction mentioned above (no state-funded educational institution must impart religious instructions).
• Any individual attending the educational institution who is recognized by the state or receives help from the state is not permitted to get involved in any religious instruction that might be imparted in the particular educational institution or attend any religious worship being practiced in the same educational institution unless he is allowed for the same. In the case of minors, the guardians are responsible for giving consent for the same.

What is meant by secularism?

Secularism implies developing, understanding, and respecting different religions. When discussing the secular nature of Indian polity, it is with the 42nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution that Preamble to the Constitution stated that India is a ‘secular’ nation. Here the term ‘secular’ means that the country doesn’t prioritize any particular religion over all religions being practiced by the nation’s citizens. According to the secular nature of Indian polity, religion is to be always considered separate from the government, economic, social, political, and cultural aspects of life. What religion is to be practiced, observed, and worshiped by the individual must be their personal affair.

Conclusion

As stated under Articles 25 to 28 in the Constitution of India, the right to freedom of religion specifies that every individual residing in the country is free to practice, observe, and worship any religion without any kind of interference. However, when it comes to secularism, it is the concept that states that no priority is given to any specific religion, and the state is separate from the religious institutions. In this article, all Articles 25 to 28 specifying the right to freedom of religion in the Indian constitution and the concept of secularism are discussed.