Mumbai, India – The Delhi High Court has upheld the dismissal of Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan, a Christian officer in the Indian Army, for refusing to participate in specific Hindu and Sikh rituals.This has sparked debate over religious freedom and secularism within the Indian Armed Forces, as per a report by the Catholic Herald.
Kamalesan, who joined the army in 2017 and served in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, objected to entering the sanctum sanctorum of a temple to perform Hindu worship rituals such as puja, havan, and aarti, citing his Protestant Christian beliefs which prohibit idol worship. While he regularly attended religious parades and accompanied troops to the regiment’s temple and gurdwara as a mark of respect, he refrained from participating in the core religious ceremonies.
In 2021, after several warnings, Kamalesan was dismissed from service and lost his pension and gratuity benefits. He contested the decision, arguing that the regiment lacked a Sarv Dharm Sthal (a multi-faith prayer space), and his abstention was a matter of faith, not defiance.
However, the army maintained that shared religious traditions are key to unit cohesion and morale. The Delhi High Court agreed, stating on May 30 that military discipline takes precedence over personal religious choices and that unity in the armed forces is forged through collective participation in traditions.
Jesuit Father A. Santhanam, a legal practitioner at the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, criticized the judgment, calling it a form of “religious coercion” that undermines India’s secular framework. “Kamalesan’s respectful presence at the rituals should have been appreciated, not punished,” he said. “This decision violates the core principle that no authority should compel anyone to go against their faith.”
He further emphasized that the court’s application of Article 33 — which allows the restriction of fundamental rights for military personnel — was inappropriate, as there is no law mandating participation in religious ceremonies of another faith.
Father Santhanam warned that such judgments risk promoting majoritarian religious norms within the armed forces and threaten India’s secular and pluralistic identity.
