India, Dec. 14 -- A malicious perception is being created that India's armed forces are drifting towards majoritarian religious dominance and that the handling of Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan's case exposes a basic institutional fault line. A closer reading of the law, military practice and judicial reasoning suggests otherwise. The facts do not sustain the charge of systematic communal bias; rather, the criticism rests on selective readings of evidence and a misunderstanding of how secularism operates within a disciplined, multi-faith force.

DISCIPLINE, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND THE ARMED FORCESConstitutionally, military personnel do not stand in the same position as civilians. The Constitution permits Parliament to restrict certain fundamen...