State in Religion: Preamble to Pogrom

India is a secular state in which all faiths enjoy freedom of worship. The concept of secularism is implicit in the Preamble to our Constitution, which declares the resolve of the people to secure to all its citizens “liberty of thought, belief, faith, and worship.” There is no mysticism in the secular character of the state. Secularism is neither anti-god nor pro-god, it treats alike the devout, the agnostic, and the atheist. It eliminates god from the matters of the state and ensures that no one shall be discriminated against on the ground of religion. The state can have no religion of its own. It should treat all religions equally. In a secular state, the state is only concerned with the relation between man and man. It is not concerned with the relationship of man with god. It is left to the individual’s conscience. Man is not answerable to the state for any of his religious views. There can be no compulsions in law for any creed or practice of any form of worship.1 Since time immemorial, institutionalised religion has been “oppressive” and a tool in the hands of a few power-wielding people and it is no different in the contemporary scenario. [Working Paper No. 0037]