DHARMASHASTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

Jabalpur (M.P.) 482001

Political science -2

“Retrospective and Prospective study of secularism in India”

Submitted by: Submitted to

Akshay Pal Dr. Jalaj Goantiya

BALLB/015/21 Assistant Professor of Political Science
Semester 4

Section- A
 Abstract
This project aimed at understanding philosophy of secularism in India from inception of Indian
civilization moreover how India’s secularism is different from western understanding of secularism
also how this philosophy of secularism curb with today’s need of society result in constitution of
India and also what are the contemporary challenges faced by India through political ideology shift
and what lies ahead in course of secularism in India

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, praise and thanks to God, the almighty, for his showers of blessings throughout
my research work to complete the research successfully.

I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to the Vice chancellor of our university, Prof.
(Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha for giving me this golden opportunity to learn and gain knowledge by
doing research projects which would further enhance my research skills. His dynamic vision,
sincerity and motivation have deeply inspired me.

Dr. Jalaj Goantiya (Associate Professor of Political science) for providing me this opportunity
to show my capacity in front of our university. I am privileged with this chance and giving all the
support and guidance which made me complete the project.

I extend my heart- felt gratitude to my parents and my friends for supporting me and aiding me for
the accomplishment of this project.
 Table of contents

• Abstract
• Acknowledgment
• CHAPTER 1
• Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------ • Research
objective ------------------------------------------------------------ • Research
question -------------------------------------------------------------- • Research
Hypothesis ---------------------------------------------------------------- • Literature
review ---------------------------------------------------------------------
• Limitation of the study ----------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 2

• Ancient India perception on secularism as concept

• Changes in definition of secularism
CHAPTER 3

• Various Instances of secularism in India

Case study

 Constitution of India
 Political ideology

CHAPTER 4

• Contemporary status of secularism in India

 Hindu Rashtra

CHAPTER 5

• What could be lies ahead in course of secularism in India

CHAPTER 6

• Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
“If India is not secular nation, then India is not India at all” said by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This is
the perception of our beloved former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on secularism. As we
can see according to him secularism is backbone of our India so to understand why he said like
this we have to comprehend what is the place of secularism in history of India thus here we will
try to take insight of secularism in India from ancient time to contemporary time and also what
will be course of secularism in India by analyzing contemporary situation. Also if we see today
society of India secularism is controversial subject to talk so to understand the why it is happening
, what are the factors behind it that it become hot topic of discussion also how it could severely
affect the India in long term because communal tension may lead to instability in country as whole
.Also we will discuss the idea of akhand Hindu rashtra i.e. it is feasible in today’s time or not and
so on.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• To understand the factor which effect the perception of secularism in India
• To know contemporary situation of secularism in India effect the country
• To know about what lies ahead on course of secularism in India

RESEARCH QUESTION

• What is the perception of secularism in ancient India?

• Is there any change in definition of secularism in India?
• How political parties influence the definition of secularism in contemporary India?
• What could be lies ahead in course of secularism in India?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Today’s politics degrade the value of secularism in society which will affect the country severely
in long run.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In order to make this project I go through various article which are critically analyzing the
secularism in India from ancient era to contemporary time and basis of that to predict what would
be future course of secularism in India

Ancient India perception on secularism as concept

To understand the ancient India perception on secularism we have to look into prevalent books
which help in building values, ethic on which Indian society function. For this best source is our
religious text like Veda, Puranas and Upanishads which was considered as yardstick of how to
make a perfect society and life of individuals in micro concept. The Vedas are regarded as the most
revered scriptures in India and the earliest textual evidence of Indo Aryan culture. They include
spiritual knowledge embracing all facets of life and are the original Hindu scriptures. The Vedas
serve as the supreme religious authority for all facets of Hinduism and are regarded as a reliable
source of knowledge for all people. Their philosophical maxims have endured the test of time. The
name Veda, which also means wisdom, understanding, or vision, makes the language of the gods
accessible to humans. Up until the present, Hindus' social, legal, household, and religious norms
have been governed by the laws of the Vedas. Vedic rites serve as the basis for all of Hinduism's
mandatory obligations, including those related to birth, marriage, and death. Secular traditions are
firmly rooted in Indian soil, as can be seen if we look closely at India's past. The amalgamation of
numerous social movements and spiritual traditions has contributed to the uniqueness of Indian
culture. By accepting and seeking to meld many spiritual traditions into a unified mainstream, the
"Sanatana Dharma" (Hinduism) thrived as a comprehensive religion in ancient India.4 The Hindu
religion is highly diverse, as evidenced by the Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads. The Vedic idea of
'Dharma Nirapekshata,' or the state's indifference to religion, is connected to the term
‘secularism' in India. Sarva Dharma Sambhava, which literally means that the endpoint of the
pathways pursued by all religions is the same, is connected to the Indian idea of secularism.
However, the paths may differ. hence, in Indian
The "secularist" concept encourages "equal respect for all religions” whereas according to west
Secularism is an ideology that disapproves of religion or the idea that religion has no place in pu
blic life or education.Secularism is exemplified by the idea of keeping religion out of public scho
ols and the separation of church and state.

Example
As early as the third century B.C., ruler Ashoka was the first great ruler to declare that the state
would not persecute any religious denomination.In his 12th Rock Edit, Ashoka urged people to c
reate a sense of profound respect for all religious factions in addition to tolerating them.He begge
d people to refrain from disparaging other religious movements.
He urged followers to become perfect in other religions' sacred texts.Ashoka's declaration of reli
gious tolerance more than 2,300 years ago has been regarded as a prized social value in India.On
e of the defining characteristics of human civilization as a whole, as well as of Indian civilization
, is Ashoka's secular worldview (Yerankar, 2006). The pursuit of religious tolerance and the
coexistence of various faiths persisted even after the introduction of Jainism, Buddhism, and
eventually Islam and Christianity to Indian land that’s why after independence of India Ashoka
was considered as a symbol of unity because he rule approx whole India with this much diversity.
As we could comprehend that our definition of secularism is different from western understanding
of secularism in which religion is set aside from state but India secularism means that is religion
and state should work simultaneously or hand in hand for better governance.

Changes in definition of secularism

There is no universal definition of word “secularism” if we look at the each country they have their
own definition of secularism like western countries where secularism means-

Religion is completely consigned to the private domain and has no place at all in the public sphere accordi
ng to the western concept of secularism.Since no laws can be created in the west on the basis of religion; t
he government is completely cut off from the religious activities and practices of its people whereas other
half of world have different understanding of the term secularism where

The 'wall of separation' between religion and the State does not exist in India, either in law or in
practice, both the government and the faith are permitted to interact and interfere in one another's
business as long as they do so within the limits that have been set by law and the courts even some
countries does not follow the practice of secularism in their country these countries were run by their
religious text.

By this discussion secularism itself and its definition is not universal in nature. We can broadly categorize
secularism in two different part or sphere
 SECULARISM

POSITIVE NEGATIVE

We can deduce from above flowchart that secularism can positive or negative in nature. To
understand positive and negative nature of secularism we will took the example if India and
Britain

POSITIVE SECULARISM

Indian leadership has opted for a constructive approach to interaction i.e. positive secularism
according to which within the limits imposed by law and accepted by the court, the government
and religion can interact and interfere in each other’s affairs means there is no wall of separation
between state and religion thus, Indian secularism does not call for the complete exclusion of
religion from public life.

All religious minorities have the legal right to create and operate their own colleges and universit
ies with the possibility of official support; thanks to the state.Indian secularism requires the gove
rnment to meddle in religion in order to purge its atrocities
Forexample implementing laws that prohibit child marriage, dowry, animal and bird sacrifice,
sati, or the bur ning of widows, and stopping Dalits from visiting temples.

Also involve in establishing Wakf Boards, Departments of Religious Endowments, etc.

Additionally, it is involved in choosing the Trustees for these boards.

NEGATIVE SECULARISM

According to the British concept of secularism, the "State" and "religious belief" have their own
distinct domains and may not interfere with one another's business.Therefore, the full separation
of faith from government is required by theBritain concept of secularism.According to the Britis
h model, the government is prohibited from providing any kind of funding to colleges and univer
sities run by religious communities.Until religion is operating within the bounds of the law, the st
ate does not become involved in its business.The state is utterly divorced from the religious activ
ities and practises of its citizens since the British model forbids the formulation of any public pol
icies on the basis of religion.

The major reason of different perception of secularism is history of that particular country like in
Britain church and state are two power controlling centre due to which church interfere with the
matter of state which led to chaos in the country whereas India from inception has ideology where
all religions were treated equally and make consensus between various religion in other words
India cooperative co-existence and this because of diversity which live within a country.

Various Instances of secularism in India

There are various instances where we can see secular nature of India

Mughal empire

The great Akbar, emperor of the Mughals, greatly supported the practise of religious tolerance.H
e drew heavily on the spirit of secularism to spread Din-e-Illahi (Divine faith) and Sulh-ekul
(Peace with all). The majority of the Mugal rulers adopted a liberal and tolerant mindset.
Akbar's army was led by the Hindu Mansingh.There were 40,000 Rajput troops, of which more t
han 500 were Hindu Sardar.22.4 percent of the Sardars in Shahjahan's time were Hindus.
31.6 percent of the Sardars in Aurangzeb's government were Hindu.Raja Jaswant Singh (Rajput)
was chosen as the leader of Afghanistan by him.Raghunathdas served as his first prime minister
and held the position till his death.Some nationalist Hindu leaders had a negative perception of th
e Muslim rulers that was inaccurate (Yerankar, 2006).On the other side, a Muslim named Hakim
Singh Suri led Ranapratap Singh's army, and two Muslim Sardars during the reign of Chatrapati
Shivaji were named Siddhi Halal and Nur Khan (Tara, 1991).
Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsees, Jains, Jews, and even atheists participated in the public dis
course gatherings Akbar organised in the late sixteenth century . While Akbar's support for inclus
ive ideals and his insistence that the government should be completely impartial towards differen
t religions gave the politics of secularism a huge boost, the historical roots of Indian secularism c
an be traced to a trend of thinking that had started to take hold long before Akbar.
Even Akbar's insistence on including nonMuslim intellectuals and artists in his court alongside
Muslims (including the great Hindu musician Tansen) .By these courses we can see secular
instance in medieval India.

Constitution of India

After Independence of India as we know British India was divided into two parts Pakistan and
India on basis of religion but even in negative time where man, women and children were killed
because of their religion (communal riots) India stand for its secular values and decided that all
religion could live in means India is not only for Hindu religion but its doors are open for all the
religion.

In the time of making constitution means during constitutional debate question were asked why
India should not be a Hindu nation but B.R Ambedkar firmly counter these argument and maintain
the secular values of country.

Fundamental right

Every person has the right to "freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise, and propa
gate religion," according to Articles 25 to 28 of the Indian Constitution.The Supreme Court ruled
in St. Xavier's College v. State of Gujarat11 that even though the word "secular" was not used in
the Constitution, there can be no doubt that the Constitution's authors intended to create such a S
tate, which is why Articles 25 to 28 were added.12All people are guaranteed two freedoms under
Article 25: 1) freedom of conscience; and 2) the right to profess, practise, and spread religion.
Religion is a system of thought that connects human spirituality to divine beings.It encompasses
worship, conviction, faith, dedication, and to some extent, rituals.
Additionally, Article 25 guarantees the right to propagate, including conversion.But conversion r
equires "voluntary" as a prerequisite.However, "mass conversion" may be governed by the State.
The Supreme Court ruled that while it is permissible to convert to another person's religion, such
conversion must be entirely voluntary.Any conversion carried out via coercion, deception, or a pr
omise will be prohibited.However, there are significant limitations to this right, including those r
elated to public order, morality, health, and other fundamental rights.Even if it conflicts with oth
er fundamental rights, the court will not outright restrict the right to practise one's faith.
It needs to strike a balance.

Preamble
The Indian Constitution's Preamble declares that it seeks to "constitute India a Sovereign, Sociali
st, Secular, Democratic Republic."The 42nd amendment (in 1976) added the words "socialist" an
d "secular" to it.But before that, the Supreme Court of India established the notion of basic struct
ure in its seminal decision in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala6 and declared that the "secu
lar and federal character of the Constitution" is a part of basic structure.Although the term "basic
structure" was not defined, the idea was understood to encompass a number of values, including t
he supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and India's s
overeignty. Therefore, the fundamental framework of the Constitution cannot be altered.

POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

After independence some people are not happy with the ideology of congress so they make there
on party known BJP advocated hindutava ideology as we know India follows the positive form of
secularism so we can represent our ideology in political system not only Hindu ideology i.e.
majority religion but also minority religion represent their ideology in political system like All
India Majilis-e-ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM),Indian union Muslim league, All India United
democratic front, The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), The Indian Christian Front (ICF) etc.

Lets talks about how BJP formed because it is useful in understanding contemporary discourse
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS; Indian People's Association), founded in 1951 as the political wi
ng of the proHindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS; "National Volunteers Corps") by Shya
ma Prasad Mukherjee, is where the BJP's origins may be found.The BJP called for the creation o
f a powerful, unified state and promoted the reconstruction of India in conformity with Hindu cul
ture.The BJP made significant inroads in northern India's Hindi-speaking areas in 1967. Ten
years later, the Atal Bihari Vajpayeeled party merged with three other political parties to for m
the Janata Party, which then assumed control of the government.But because of internal strife and
factionalism, the administration fell in July 1979.Following a breakup of the Janata alliance
caused by dissidents whose leaders intended to forbid elected BJS officials from joining the RSS,
the BJP was officially founded in 1980.(Critics of the RSS frequently charge it with political an d
religious fanaticism, particularly in light of the fact that one of its members had murdered Mah
atma Gandhi.)Later, under the direction of Vajpayee, Lal Krishan Advani, and Murali Manohar J
oshi, the BJP reorganised itself as the BJP.
The Indian National Congress (Congress Party)'s secular policies and practises were sharply criti
cised by the BJP, which promoted the Hindutva ("Hinduness") ideology that attempted to define
Indian culture in terms of Hindu valuesThe BJP started to see electoral success in 1989 when it t
apped into antiMuslim sentiment by advocating for the construction of a Hindu temple in a sectio
n of Ayodhya that Hindus revere but was at the time home to the Babri Masjid.
The BJP had significantly expanded its political popularity by 1991, when it won 117 seats in the
Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian parliament) and took control of four states.

Now BJP is back to the power under the leadership of Narendra Singh Modi.

Contemporary status of secularism in India

The British colonial authorities were largely responsible for the hostility between Hindus and Mu
slims.They adopted a strategy of "divide and rule" and sought to incite animosity between the me
mbers of these two communities in order to maintain their hold on power.After a long history of i
ndependence, the inability to properly adjust between them has frequently led to violent outburst
s and communal riots, which regrettably poses a severe threat to our nation's secular identity.On t
he other hand, political parties, especially the national, frequently refuse to let secularism trump t
heir own political objectives.Due to tradition, Indian voters typically respond favourably to appe
als made on the basis of caste, religion, and language.
In contemporary time BJP is governing India and as we discuss previously that BJP ideology is tilt
towards Hindutava so there some negative effect on India secularism like communal tension started
growing where Muslim and other minority religion felt insecure because of ajenda that are
circulated all over India like targeting the mughal rulers by expressing that mughal try to destroy
Indian culture which is true in one aspect but because what was happened in past we cannot give
punishment to today’s community .Many bills and act which try to spread communalism in society
like inter religion marriage were shows as forceful conversion even couples were major and with
their consent they were married for example Anti conversion law in mp ,social media ,news
channel also help in spreading hatred between the community , news channel most of the time try
to show the distorted picture of incident and try to target the minority community. Many hoaxes
were also circulated in country like HINDU RASHTRA it means to establish a nation for only
Hindu religion where other religions have no place in the country which resulted in communal
tension in the country. Also that if we do not stop Muslim community then India will become
Muslim nation but if we think logically this is not possible. It does not mean that congress party is
secular in nature , yes I agree in many aspects it is secular in nature but congress party is that
protecting the minority religion in country which automatically resulted in its tilt toward minority
community because our secularism give equal status to all the religion. As we witnessed in past
religion (British rule and partition of India) is used as a tool to divide us as a nation and hinder the
growth of nation according to me this is happening in contemporary time we as a country diverted
from real goal that is development of country in economic and social aspects like unemployment
rate is increase, divide between poor and rich is widened, education, health facility are not up to
the mark. But there is other aspects also according to which where Hindu culture is losing its
importance because of liberalism ideology they started to again get importance and people are
begins to learn and connect to Hindu religion which is good for substance of Hindu religion.

If we compare the positive and negative side of hindutava ideology according to me I find more
cons than pros of it.

What could be lies ahead in course of secularism in India

Secularism of India is way more complex than looks our secularism is not like give equal treatment
to all religion not treat every religion according to circumstances of society .There are decision to
build Masjid and to destroy temple and vice versa according to circumstances.

If we look into current scenario there is a right ward shift of the polity as a whole but as nation
which is extremely diverse in nature there should not be any situation where one or other ideology
prevail but equal representation of both the ideology.
There are various ways to provide harmonious and peaceful survival for the different religions and
casts of Indian society.

To develop Fraternity

Currently, when inequality and hate are on upward trajectory and nearly everyone has forgotten
what it is to respect others, we live in a terrible time.The secular democracy in India may be able
to be saved by promoting religious tolerance and harmony.Fraternity, or a shared sense of brothe
rhood among all Indians, unites them as a one people.The Indians' lives can become more unified
and in solidarity thanks to this philosophy.To safeguard India's secularism, religious tolerance, e
quality, respect for all faiths notwithstanding differences, and fraternity should be encouraged.
India can only then achieve the statehood that the Constitution's creators had envisioned.

To develop Value-Education

Education is very important in today’s world but in that education there should be reflection of
country’s culture and value not just copying the western ideology but do what is suitable for our
society so it is our responsibility to make sure that young people receive a values-based education
that helps them understand and value not only their own religious traditions but akso those of other
major religious practiced in the nation.

Social–Political reform

Reforms are important in society. Reforms refer to make improvement to (anything, particularly a
practice or institution) by changing it if as a society we don’t bring reforms than our becomes
redundant in nature which may result in chaos so time to time social-political reforms should be
bring. In contemporary time it is necessary to establish a supportive climate and forge
sociopolitical agreement in order to carry out social reform initiatives like the Uniform Civil Code.

CONCLUSION

Overall, while secularism has been enshrined in the Indian Constitution since independence, its
implementation has been uneven and incomplete. Retrospective and prospective studies suggest
that there is a need for a more robust and inclusive secular agenda in India that is responsive to the
country's unique religious and cultural context. This will require addressing the underlying social
and economic factors that contribute to religious tensions and discrimination, as well as promoting
interfaith dialogue and understanding.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• clearias.com
• North Park University
• National Law University
• O. P. Jindal Global University
• coursehero.com
• University of Portsmouth
• University of Lancaster