SC Upholds Army Termination Over Refusal to Enter Regimental Temple
SC Upholds Army Termination Over Refusal to Enter Regimental Temple
Supreme Court upholds the Army's termination of a Christian officer who refused to enter regimental temple rites, calling the act a gross indiscipline.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court dismissed Samuel Kamalesan's appeal challenging his termination from the Army, describing his conduct as the \"grossest kind of indiscipline\" for refusing to participate in regimental religious activities at the innermost sanctum of a temple at his posting. It refused to interfere with the Delhi High Court's decision upholding the Army's action.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the Army's action was in line with discipline and cohesion and refused to interfere with the Delhi High Court's ruling. The bench added, \"What kind of message has he been sending? He should have been thrown out for this only. This is the grossest kind of indiscipline by an Army official,\" as it underscored that leaders must lead by example and that the act insulted troops.
During the hearing, Kamalesan's counsel argued his client was dismissed for a single act of refusal, while he had otherwise participated in multi-faith spaces and regimental events. The senior advocate insisted the appellant's fundamental right to practise his religion under Article 25 was implicated, while questioning how a troop leader would accompany his soldiers into a place they considered sacred. The bench noted the regiment also maintains a gurdwara, reminding the court of the secular nature of such spaces and asking, \"A gurdwara is one of the most secular places... The manner in which he is behaving, is he not insulting other religions?\" The senior lawyer added that the dismissal violated the officer's rights, but the court kept the focus on discipline over private religious interpretation.
The ruling underscored that religious ego cannot trump discipline, cohesion, and respect for one’s troops, and it upheld the termination, signaling the armed forces\' expectations that service duties and unit unity prevail over personal belief in ceremonial settings.
Cover image source: Soldiers’ religious ego cannot trump collective ethos of the armed forces: SC 🔗
