Tag: military discipline

New Delhi, Nov 25 (LatestNewsX) – The Supreme Court declined to overturn a 2021 dismissal of a Christian officer, who was sacked by the Indian Army after refusing to enter the innermost area of his regiment’s Mandir and Gurdwara during the weekly parades.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi confirmed the Delhi High Court’s ruling, which had held that Lt. Samuel Kamalesan’s refusal amounted to disobeying a lawful military order and threatened unit cohesion. The apex court was uncomplimentary to the officer’s insistence that his faith barred him from the shrine, even after repeated counseling from senior commanders and a local pastor. “If this is the attitude of an Army officer, then what to say!” the court noted, dismissing his appeal.

Lt. Kamalesan, serving in a Sikh squadron, claimed that stepping into the sanctum would violate the First Commandment—“You shall have no other gods before me.” He said he had always marched but stood outside the innermost area as a sign of respect both to his faith and to his troops.

In contrast, army officials argued that the matter concerned discipline and leadership, not personal belief. The Delhi High Court remarked that the Armed Forces operate under keystone values of “nation before self; and certainly, nation before religion.” It stressed that a commanding officer must bond with his soldiers and maintain morale. In a May 30 order, Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur said, “The petitioner has kept his religion above a lawful command from his superior. This clearly is an act of indiscipline.”

The Supreme Court also questioned whether the officer’s decision hurt the sentiments of his own soldiers: “You refuse to go just because there is a temple and Gurdwara there. Does it not amount to hurting the feelings of your soldiers?” the bench asked. It added, “Where in Christian faith is entering the sanctum sanctorum of a temple barred? Article 25 protects essential practices, not every individual sentiment,” when reviewing the case.

Senior counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Kamalesan, argued that the officer had only one transgression and was otherwise disciplined. He highlighted that the officer had previously attended ceremonies at “Sarva Dharma Sthals” elsewhere, but that his posting contained only a temple and a Gurdwara. The APS noted that even a pastor had advised that entering the regimental place of worship would not conflict with Christian tenets.

“You cannot have your own private understanding of what your religion says, that too when in uniform,” the CJI Kant‑led bench repeated, calling the conduct “the grossest kind of indiscipline by an Army official.”

When the appellant requested a more proportional penalty, the Supreme Court refused. “You may be outstanding in a hundred things, but the Indian Army is known for its secular approach. When you cannot maintain discipline there… you have failed to respect the sentiments of your own soldiers,” it said.

Having dismissed the appeal, the bench signaled that its decision would “send a strong message.”

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