Top court raps Christian soldier for refusing to enter temple, Gurdwara

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea filed by a Christian Indian Army soldier who was terminated from service for his refusal to participate in collective religious practices conducted by his entire regiment.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also remarked that the soldiers' behaviour reflected gross indiscipline, rendering them absolute misfits for the army. After hearing arguments from Senior Advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan appearing for the petitioner soldier, the Court upheld his termination, as had been ordered earlier by Delhi high court.

The Christian army man had moved the apex court challenging the Delhi high court's decision to dismiss his plea against his termination from the army.

While rejecting his plea, the Delhi high court had reasoned that the said petitioner kept his religion above his superiors' lawful command.

During the hearing at the apex court on Tuesday, Senior counsel Gopal Sankarnarayanan defended his client's conduct by arguing that all his client did was to refuse to enter the sanctum sanctorum of a Hindu temple and of a Gurdwara, along with the rest of his troops that he commanded.