ABSTRACT
The Indian constitution was amended in 1975 to include the term ‘secularism’ in the official description of the state.1 In a deeply religious society, it is not the ‘sacred’ that is problematic, but the meaning of the ‘secular’. Accepting the ideal of a secular state, Indians retain the right to interpret the term ‘secular’ as they see fit-from a state that knows no religion to a state that recognizes all religions equally to a state that while predominantly Hindu, guarantees the rights of other religious groups. This chapter will begin with an account of the relevant constitutional provisions, and then read them through a variety of lenses-‘traditional’ and contemporary. In so doing, the chapter will address those issues (for example, rights, federalism and the use of force) that the democratic context of this debate generates.2
