26 Jul. 24: The Kerala High Court has reinforced the constitutional right to religious freedom, ruling that individuals cannot be confined to one religion solely based on their birth. The decision came as Justice V.G. Arun granted permission to two brothers, Lohith S and Logith, to change their religion in their school certificates after converting from Hinduism to Christianity.
The brothers, originally Hindu, converted to Christianity and were baptized at Malankara Catholic Church in Mavelikkara in May 2017. Despite the school authorities approving the change of their names, their request to update their religion in school records was initially denied due to the absence of a legal provision for such changes.
Justice Arun emphasized that Article 25(1) of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom to practice and profess any religion of one’s choice. He asserted that if a person exercises this freedom and adopts a new faith, necessary corrections must be made in official records to reflect this change, as per a report by the Times of India.
The court noted, “Refusal to carry out the correction will have an adverse impact on the future of the applicants. Such a rigid approach also contradicts the constitutional guarantee.”
This ruling underscores the judiciary’s commitment to upholding individual religious freedoms and ensuring that personal choices are respected in official documentation.
