Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right guaranteed by the country's constitution. [1] India is a secular state by law. Freedom of religion is established in tradition as Hinduism doesn't recognise labels of distinct religions[2][3] and has no concept of blasphemy. [4][5] Every citizen of India has a right to practice and promote their religion peacefully.
However, there have been many incidents of religious intolerance which have resulted in riots and pogroms.These incidents have been condemned by the governmental administrations, private businesses, and judicial systems. India is one of the most diverse nations in terms of religion. Even though Hindus form close to 80 percent of the population, the Indian Muslims form the third largestMuslim population in the world are also the world's largest minority account for over 12 percent of the population, and the country also has large Sikh, Christian andZoroastrian populations.
It is home to the holiest shrines of four world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Modern India came into existence in 1947 as a secular nation and the Indian constitution's preamble states that India is a secular state. India has a Hindu President (Pratibha Patil), Muslim Vice President (M. Hamid Ansari), a Sikh Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) and a Christian Defence MinisterA. K.
Antony.The leader of the largest party, the Indian National Congress, Sonia Gandhi is a Catholic Christian, while the leader of the opposition is Sushma Swaraj, a Brahman Hindu. India's ex-President APJ Abdul Kalam was a Muslim. Out of the 12 Presidents of India since Independence, three have been Muslims. India had a prominent former Defence Minister (George Fernandes), a Christian (though not practicing) and a Hindu minister controlling foreign affairs.
India's Air Force Chief, Fali H. Major, is a Parsi.
