Madras HC admonishes evangelist who derided Hindu Dharma

Chennai – The Madras High Court came down strongly on religious leaders preaching superiority of their religion over others while hearing a petition filed by evangelist Mohan C Lazarus, who apologised unconditionally for his statements against Hindu temples.

“Spewing venom against another religious faith and developing hatred among the followers of a particular religion against another, defies the very purpose of religion, which is meant to help a human being evolve towards higher truths”, the Court said.

The case, which came up before a single judge Bench of Justice N Anand Venkatesh, brought focus on values of liberty, secularism and tolerance. “The responsibility lies more with persons who are involved in the propagation of religions”, he said.

The Court added that it cannot be ‘at the cost of injuring the sentiments and rights’ of fellow citizens who are ‘part of the rich culture and value system that our Nation embodies’. The Court warned, “If this is not followed, it will spell danger to the secular fabric of this country. It may even lead to eroding one of the basic structures of our Constitution”.