The Supreme Court on Tuesday strongly criticised a Christian Army officer who had been removed from service after he refused to enter a gurdwara during a regimental ceremony. The court called him a cantankerous man and a misfit in the Army. Chief Justice Surya Kant said the officer’s behaviour showed gross indiscipline and added that such people do not belong in the military. “What kind of message is he sending? He should have been terminated. This is not something we can permit in the armed forces,” the Chief Justice said.
The officer, former Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, was dismissed after he refused to obey an order from his superior to enter the inner sanctum of a religious place and perform a puja. Kamalesan said that doing so would violate his Christian belief in one God and claimed that he was only protecting his faith. In May the Delhi High Court had upheld the Army’s decision and remarked that he had placed his personal religion above a lawful military order, which the court described as a clear act of indiscipline.
When the case reached the Supreme Court, the bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi said his behaviour insulted the religious feelings of the Sikh soldiers under his command. The judges said an Army leader must lead by example and show respect for all faiths. Justice Bagchi noted that Kamalesan had even ignored the advice of his own pastor, who had told him that entering the sanctum would not violate Christian teachings. “You cannot have your private understanding of what your religion permits when you are in uniform,” Justice Bagchi said.
Kamalesan’s lawyer, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, argued that his client was dismissed for only one act and that he had otherwise respected all religions. He said Kamalesan had always participated in festivals and multi-faith ceremonies and only refused to enter the innermost sacred place. Sankaranarayanan told the court that the regiment did not have a common multi-faith structure and only had a gurdwara and a temple. He said the officer had told his superiors that he was willing to do everything outside the sanctum but that stepping inside went against his belief in one God. The lawyer insisted that Kamalesan was not a difficult man and had been disciplined in every other way.
The Supreme Court did not accept this explanation. The Chief Justice said that an Army officer cannot refuse to accompany his troops into a place they consider sacred. He added that even if Kamalesan was otherwise a capable soldier, he was still a misfit for the Indian Army because the force requires complete discipline and respect for all beliefs. The bench said that the responsibilities of the armed forces are very high and such conduct cannot be tolerated. The court affirmed the decision to dismiss him and said his refusal had damaged unit cohesion and troop morale.
The Army had earlier explained that Kamalesan continued to reject the order even after senior officers and Christian clergy assured him that entering the sanctum would not violate Christian principles. The Delhi High Court had also observed that the issue was not about his right to practice his religion but about obeying a lawful command, which is central to military discipline.
