Chief Justice of India BR Gavai shares his secular beliefs and reflections on the Constitution in his farewell speech. He emphasizes that he practices Buddhism but believes in justice, equality, and respect for all religions.
Rahul Gandhi has criticized the RSS for questioning the terms “secular” and “socialist” in the Constitution’s Preamble, accusing them of favoring the Manusmriti agenda. He claims the RSS aims to undermine the rights of marginalized groups and has warned them against their intentions. The controversy follows an RSS demand for debate on these terms.
Today, On 25th November, the Supreme Court dismissed PILs to remove “secular” and “socialist” from the Indian Constitution’s Preamble. The Chief Justice stated that Parliament can amend the Preamble, and the court emphasized that defining these terms is a governmental responsibility. The terms were added in 1976 through the 42nd amendment.
The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on petitions challenging the inclusion of “socialist” and “secular” in the Indian Constitution’s Preamble, scheduled for November 25. CJI Sanjiv Khanna emphasized secularism as a core constitutional aspect and noted prior judicial review of the 42nd Amendment, rejecting claims of its unconstitutionality during the Emergency.
The Supreme Court, today (21st October) addressing challenges to the 42nd Amendment’s inclusion of “socialist” and “secular” in the Preamble, emphasized these terms’ relevance in the Indian context rather than solely from a Western view. Justices questioned the amendment’s legitimacy due to lack of parliamentary debate during the national emergency, scheduling further hearings for November.
Former Supreme Court Justice KM Joseph emphasized that the Indian Constitution inherently embraces secular values, regardless of the explicit mention of ‘secularism’ in the preamble. He highlighted that the removal of the word “secular” would not diminish the equality guaranteed under relevant articles. Justice Joseph underlined the significance of secularism as a basic feature of the Constitution.