The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday described as “improper and unwarranted” Supreme Court judge A. R. Dave’s comments about introducing the Bhagvad Gita in Class I curriculum if he were a “dictator.”
Addressing an international conference on “Contemporary Issues and Challenges of Human Rights in the era of Globalisation” in Ahmedabad, Justice Dave was reported to have said, “Somebody who is very secular… so called secular will not agree… Had I been the dictator of India, I would have introduced Gita and Mahabharata in Class I. If there is something good, we have to get it from anywhere.”
‘Against Constitution’Taking note of this comment, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said, “What Justice Dave has advocated is religious instruction in all schools from Class I. Compulsory religious instruction in government schools violates the basic secular principle enshrined in the Constitution.” Further, the Polit Bureau said it “is unfortunate” that a sitting judge of the Supreme Court propounds his personal views that go against the grain of the secular democratic Constitutional principle, which he as a judge is expected to uphold.
