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Journalism of Courage
Holding that the taking of oath of office in the name of Allah is constitutional, the Kerala High Court on Friday said any move to prevent this would defeat the secular character of the nation. Dismissing a public interest litigation seeking a declaration that 11 MLAs, who had taken oath in the name of Allah, be disqualified, a Division Bench of Justices J B Koshy and V Ramkumar held that Allah is the synonym of “God” and taking oath in the name of Allah is constitutional. Taking oath in the name of Allah is taking oath in the name of God, they said.
The bench observed that the MLAs had taken the oath in their personal capacity and not on behalf of voters of their constituencies. If taking oath in the name of Allah is prevented, it will defeat the secular character of the nation, the judges said. The PIL was filed by Madhu Parumala, vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
