Chennai:No religion preaches narrow mindedness or hurting others, the Madras High Court observed on Monday. Passing strictures against a lawyer for filing a PIL petition seeking to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin from presiding over the advisory panel of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, unless he takes a pledge before a Hindu God that he would profess the Hindu religion, the court dismissed the plea.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu also debarred the petitioner from filing any PILs for five years. There is a stipulation in the HR&CE department rules saying all its employees and officials should take an oath before a Hindu God that he would profess Hindu religion before assuming office, the petitioner claimed.
A dismayed bench observed that prejudice and vendetta have to be shed when it comes to practising a religion. India was a secular country and even the Constitution permits taking an oath in the name of God or the Constitution, the bench pointed out.