ABSTRACT
The Indian Constitution22 carefully balanced, on paper, the rights of the individual in regard to religion and the authority of the state to exercise its regulatory power in the larger interests of the community. There is no established state religion, and citizenship is unrelated to the faith of the individual (Articles 5-7). Everyone is equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate his or her religion. Every religious denomination has the right to maintain institutions for religious purposes and to manage its own affairs. No one may be compelled to pay taxes for the promotion of any religion. No religious instruction may be provided wholly out of state funds (Articles 2528). The 42nd Amendment of the Constitution (1976) includes the word "secular" in the Preamble.23 According to the Constitution, the state, which is a political association concerned only with the social relations between its citizens, belongs to them all. These provisions enshrined a befitting pledge to India's minorities for which the country's greatest son had laid down his life. The Muslims, who were satisfied with these provisions, made every effort to contribute their share to the development of the society at large.
