The Supreme Court in Rajendra Bihari Lal vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and Others emphasized that the Right to Privacy is intrinsic to Freedom of Religion.
What is the relation between Freedom of Religion and Right to Privacy?
- Direct link between Privacy & Religion: The Supreme Court highlighted that Article 25 includes elements of privacy in right to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion.
- Article 25 includes the ability to choose a faith and freedom to express or not to express such a choice.
- Publishing and declaration of one’s personal faith breaches the fundamental right to privacy underArticles 25 and 21.
- Various anti-conversion legislations framed by several states, now being examined by the Supreme Court, are required to meet the privacy test.
Other Observations by SC
- Secularism: The bench reiterated that the word 'secular' in the Preamble is an intrinsic part of the basic structure of the Constitution.
- Previous Judgements Highlighted by SC
- K.S. Puttaswamy case: The right to privacy is a fundamental right protected within Article 21 in particular and Part III on the whole.
- Shafin Jahan v. Asokan K.M. Case: Upheld individual autonomy in faith and marriage choices.
