A court in India’s national capital has upheld the termination of a Christian army officer for “indiscipline,” after he persi-stently refused to lead a weekly religious parade, considering it against his faith.
Officer Samuel Kamalesan “has kept his religion above a lawful command from his superior. This clearly is an act of indiscipline,” said the Delhi High Court in its May 30 order. The court upheld the termination.
Kamalesan, a Protestant Chri-stian, was terminated in March 2021, four years after he joined the army, without providing him any benefits, such as a pension or gratuity. He joined the force as a Lieutenant and was appointed the troop leader of a squadron com-prising Sikh soldiers.
As the leader of his troop, Kamalesan was required to lead the troop in a weekly parade to a Gurudwara, a Sikh temple, and join prayers inside the innermost temple, its sanctum sanctorum, with temple priests. Kamalesan refused, stat-ing that his Christian faith does not permit him to do so, according to court records.
Kamalesan’s petition in the High Court challenged his termination and sought rein-statement.
The federal government opposed the petition. Government attorney told the court that Kama-lesan’s refusal was “only on the ground of his religious beliefs” and it “has an adverse effect on the morale and motivation of the troops he commands.”
The court ruled Kamalesan’s “persistent refusal to fully parti-cipate in weekly regimental reli-gious parades, despite extensive counseling and opportunities for compliance, justified the action taken by the respondent.”
Kamalesan said that several Christian troop leaders, including himself, have led and continue to lead troops to the regiment’s Hindu temples, and conduct prayers, offerings, and the Arati as ritual worship inside the inner-most temple. “Without the army uniform, I may be a Catholic. But with the uniform, I’m part of my regiment and will follow the disciplines of the force. Our regimental identity is above reli-gion, caste, and community,” he told on June 2.
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