25 Nov. 2025 , DELHI
In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India has backed the termination of Christian Army officer Lt. Samuel Kamalesan, who refused orders to enter the sanctum sanctorum of his regiment’s Sarva Dharma Sthal, citing his Protestant Christian faith.
A two-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, declined his plea and upheld a Delhi High Court ruling, calling his conduct “the grossest kind of indiscipline.” The judges sternly held that in the armed forces, commands promoting unit cohesion must take priority over individual religious objections.
Kamalesan, commissioned in 2017 in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, argued that his Christian monotheistic beliefs forbid him from entering the inner sanctum during religious rituals held at his regiment’s temple and gurdwara. He maintained there was no formal “Sarva Dharma Sthal” in his unit — only a temple and a gurdwara — and said he refused only to perform rituals, not to participate in parades.
However, even after counselling sessions, including advice from a pastor who told him walking into the Sthal wouldn’t breach his faith, Kamelesan remained firm. The Supreme Court rejected his interpretation, asking pointedly whether such behavior showed disrespect toward the soldiers he commanded. “Is he not insulting his own soldiers?” the bench observed.
The Delhi High Court, in its original decision, had also emphasised that Kamalesan placed his religion above a “lawful command,” thereby undermining unit discipline. The court noted that, as a commanding officer, he had special responsibilities to lead by example, unify his men, and foster regimental cohesion.
In its final verdict, the Supreme Court underscored that while religious freedom under Article 25 of the Constitution is fundamental, it does not excuse defiance of military orders that are essential to maintaining secular ethos and discipline within the Army. The bench flatly rejected any call to reduce his penalty, saying the dismissal sends a clear message: “Religious ego cannot trump collective ethos.”
The judgment is now being closely watched as a defining moment at the intersection of military discipline, religious rights, and secularism in India’s armed forces.
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