NEW DELHI, Nov. 26 -- Underlining that soldiers cannot prioritise personal religious interpretation over the collective ethos of the armed forces, the Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on a Christian officer of the Indian Army who had refused to enter the sanctum sanctorum of his regiment's "sarv dharm sthal" (place of worship for all faiths), and dismissed his petition challenging his termination. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi called the sacked officer a "misfit for the Indian Army" and a soldier who allowed his "religious ego" to override discipline, cohesion and respect for his own men. Remarking that his behaviour reflected the "grossest form of contempt and indiscipline", the bench added that this type of "cantankerous attitude is not acceptable in an armed force". Samuel Kamalesan joined the Indian Army as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Cavalry regiment in 2017. In 2021, he was dismissed from the Army over his refusal to enter the sanctum sanctorum despite repeated instructions from his commanding officer and also advice from a pastor that his faith would not be affected by entering the structure which had a gurdwara and a temple. P9...