"Everyone in India has the right to choose their God," the SC rules, rejecting the "Paramatma" PIL

The Supreme Court of India declared on Monday that everyone in the country has the freedom to worship whichever deity they choose, rejecting a petition that sought to elevate a particular spiritual figure to the status of "Paramatma," or the Supreme Being.

A bench of justices led by MR Shah and CT Ravikumar dismissed the claim, stating, "India is a secular country and the petitioner cannot be permitted to pray that the citizens of India may accept Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra as Paramatma."

No matter that the petition is a "publicity interest litigation," the top court fined petitioner Upendra Nath Dalai $100,000. 

Despite stating that the petition is "genuine," the bench stated that "people will now ponder at least four times before filing similar PILs." Dalai was ordered by the court to pay the fine within four weeks.

The Dalai, who physically appeared, argued in Hindi that Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra should be recognised as a "Paramatma" who came to earth through the kindness of fate.

If you like, you can think of him as Paramatma, the bench retorted. Why impose it on other people? Yeh lecture nahi aaye hain hum. We are not in this place to hear your lecture, in the secular sense. We live in a secular nation. Aap mano ki ek hi Guruji hain. Aise kabhi hota hai bhaiya? Sabko poora adhikar hai yeh country mein. Jisko dharam maanna hai, maane. Jisko jo bhagwaan maanna hai, maane (You are saying that everyone should accept your leader. How can that be? In India, everyone has a right to choose their religion, their God,” it added.