http://www.asianage.com/mumbai/atheist-denied-oath-court-325
Atheist denied oath in court Mar 22, 2015 - Shahab Ansari | Mumbai An assistant municipal commissioner (AMC) from Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation has written a complaint letter (copy of which is with The Asian Age) to the chief justice of the Bombay high court saying that he was not allowed to depose as a witness before a local court because he was an atheist and refused to take oath on the Bhagvad Gita. He has requested the high court to issue direction to the relevant judge to record his statement. In 2014, a team under AMC Sunil Bhalerao had intercepted a car with the label of a political party at Sai Baba Naka and had seized `6 lakh cash from it. Since the code of conduct for elections had been imposed, a case was registered against the owner of car, Ashok Mirchumal Thawani, at the Shanti Nagar police station of Bhiwandi. Mr Bhalerao is the complainant and an important witness in the case. Speaking to The Asian Age, Mr Bhalerao, who is also Prabhag officer of the Prabhag Samiti no. 1 of Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation, said that a few days ago the prosecution called him to depose before the fifth court in Bhiwandi as a witness. When he stepped in the witness box the judge D.P. Kale asked his name and profession and directed him to take an oath on the Bhagvad Gita that all his statement would be based on truth. Mr Bhalerao, however, told the judge that he is an atheist and did not believe in any religion or God and hence instead of swearing by the Gita, he would prefer to take the oath on the Constitution of India as he held highest respect for it. "The judge told me that as per law I have to take the oath on the Gita and I do not have any option. I informed the judge that in the past I was allowed to take the oath on the Constitution of India by a Thane sessions judge in another case," said Mr Bhalerao. Mr Bhalerao, who has completed his BSc, MLS, LLB, LLM, MA and PhD from Mumbai University said, "I have also read the Constitution of India and as per Article 25 of the Constitution, every person is allowed to practice his religion, but I am an atheist and I also have equal right to practice my opinion with regard to religion." He further added, "I am the complainant in the case and my evidence would be important so I am waiting for some relief from the high court on the basis of my letter. If the situation arises, I will file a PIL." -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
