Religion, Dignity And Faith: The Nexus Of Three With Regards To Indian Constitution

Abstract

Our Indian Constitutions guarantees various rights – Right to freedom of profession, practice or trade, Right to freedom of Speech and Expression, Right to live life with dignity, Right to assemble peacefully, Right to reside in any part of India, Right to religion. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right recognized in the Indian Constitution in Article 25. It ensures that each individual has the freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice and propagate their religion. This protection as a fundamental human right has been borrowed by various international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Thus, religious faith is not merely a matter of belief but is closely connected with an individual’s freedom, identity and dignity. The right to religion provided for in Article 25 is by no means absolute; it may be subject to certain qualifications and limitations concerning public order, morality, and health. In this regard, different Indian states have passed laws prohibiting conversions which are carried out by force, fraud, coercion, inducement, allurement or misrepresentation. The Supreme Court's ruling in Rev. Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh is especially important for determining the extent of the right to propagate a religion; the judgment propounded that the right to religion does not entail a right to convert another person as a result of such propagation. It distinguished propagation from conversion. This article talks about the recently introduced enactment - Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act of 2026 for banning the involuntary and forced religious conversions. This article goes on to talk about the relationship between religious freedom and state regulation. This article therefore poses important questions concerning the balance between individual choice, religious freedom, dignity and legitimate state interference, especially as it applies to minority communities.