Divisive forces can't be allowed to prosper, NDA government tells SC

NEW DELHI: The unity of a multireligious country like India has to be preserved at all costs and divisive forces cannot be allowed to prosper, the Modi government said, as it opposed a plea in the Supreme Court to do away with certain rules which make spreading disaffection between communities and insulting religions an offence. The home ministry made the comment in its reply to a court notice seeking its view on a petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who demanded that these sections be repealed in the interest of free speech.

"Our country is inhabited by persons belonging to different religions, castes and classes. Our Constitution is based upon the principle that persons of all castes, creed and religion must live together in harmony and that in the long run prosperity and salvation are in union and not in division," the ministry said in its affidavit. The government urged the court to dismiss Swamy's petition.

This comes at a time when the government and the ruling BJP are facing criticism from some quarters over their handling of issues such as the Dadri lynching and allegations of increasing intolerance in the country. Legitimate criticism of a religion in certain cases may be a cause of heartburn in a multi-religious country, the government said.