Why, you did. Which one is the best? The one you chose or the one others chose?
The same thing could be said for India. In most cases, the answer is the same.
It’s also likely one thing the country’s leaders couldn’t agree on. On March 17, the Delhi high court ruled that an order banning the sale of saffron-coated oil for religious purposes violated Article 19 of the Constitution.
It declared that a government order banning the use of saffron in religious practices “violates the right to freedom of religion guaranteed by Article 19.”
The judgment did not just rule that the ban went against the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression. It went further than that, arguing that the order has to be interpreted as an attempt to convert people and violate Article 29 of the Constitution, which enshrines the right to free speech.
The Court made it clear that it would be careful to interpret the ban in a manner that does not discriminate against the two sides that rely on it—those who wear saffron, which has been used widely for religious purposes, and people using it for non-religious purposes, which is protected by Article 29.
India is a diverse nation. In one month, you’re likely to find saffron at every corner store, bakery, shop and restaurant. It would be naive to ignore that fact. The ruling has broad implications.
There is now the prospect of a national saffron ban to be enforced by the Delhi government, and that could be problematic. In the past, the government has backed-up its ban with a slew of counter-measures, including a proposed law mandating mandatory sterilization of women who have ever worn saffron as a garland.
A case involving the Delhi government’s use of state-sponsored vigilantism to crack down on people who wear saffron as a garland may have its roots in the Indian constitution’s freedom of religious practice provision. The case also may have been prompted by the Supreme Court’s verdict on the use of Article 19 to protect freedom of speech.
So, while all this is an important development in the debate over freedom of religion, the key question may be how it plays out in practice.
What does an Indian Supreme Court ruling on Article 19 mean for a saffron ban?
The short answer is that it doesn’t mean much. The government can’t immediately impose a ban. The new
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