Plea challenges issuing of Bhagwad Gita in colleges

Mumbai: A social activist has approached the Bombay high court with a criminal writ petition challenging a state circular on the distribution of the Bhagwad Gita in colleges. The circular was issued by the deputy director of the higher education department.

Advocate Nitin Satpute on behalf of the petitioner Sanjay Bhalerao stated that the circular issued by the state on July 11 directing all aided colleges to collect copies of the Bhagwad Gita from the office of the deputy director of higher education and distribute the same to students violates Article 28 of the Constitution
of India.

Citing Article 28 in detail, the petition said, “India is a secular country therefore, the state cannot enforce any particular religion upon citizens of India. Throughout the state, there are various colleges providing education to students belonging to all religious communities i.e. Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, Jew etc.”

The petitioner claimed that no purpose would be served by distributing the Bhagwad Gita in colleges because many students believed in “their holy books”. The petitioner further said that the state should distribute free copies of holy books of all religions and a free copy of the Constitution of India.

The petitioner prayed that the HC quash and set aside the said circular, and direct the state to distribute books of the Constitution of India to all colleges. The petitioner prayed that the HC direct the state to make this a compulsory part of the syllabus of every faculty in the Indian education system.