NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the dismissal of a Christian officer who was terminated from the Indian Army in 2021 for refusing to enter the sanctum sanctorum of his regiment’s Mandir and Gurdwara during weekly religious parades.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi upheld the Delhi High Court’s ruling, which had affirmed the Army’s decision on the ground that Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan’s conduct amounted to disobedience of lawful military commands and was detrimental to unit cohesion.
The CJI Kant-led Bench took a stern view of the officer’s insistence that his faith barred him from entering the inner shrine, despite repeated counselling from senior officials and even a local pastor. “If this is the attitude of an Army officer, then what to say!” the apex court remarked while rejecting the plea.
Posted to a Sikh squadron, Lt Kamalesan had argued that stepping inside the sanctum would violate the First Commandment — “You shall have no other gods before me.” He argued that he always attended the parades but stood outside the innermost area as a mark of respect to both his faith and the sentiments of his troops.
On the other hand, the Army argued before the Delhi High Court that this was an issue of discipline and leadership, rather than personal belief.