Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?
(A) Secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution.
(B) Secularism is promised upon the separation of the public and private spheres of individual and collective existence.
(C) In a secular society, the state requires the sanction of religion to legitimize its power.

Question

Which of the following statement/s is/are correct? 
(A) Secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution. 
(B) Secularism is promised upon the separation of the public and private spheres of individual and collective existence. 
(C) In a secular society, the state requires the sanction of religion to legitimize its power.

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

**Detailed explanation of why it is correct — include conceptual, or contextual depth:**

The correct option is "Only A and B are correct." This is because both statements (A) and (B) accurately capture essential elements of the concept of secularism, particularly as understood in constitutional political theory.

Statement (A) asserts that **Secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution**. This is factually correct and stems from landmark judicial pronouncements in India. While the term "Secular" was added to the Preamble by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, the Supreme Court, particularly in the *Kesavananda Bharati case* (1973), established that the principle of secularism is inherent in the original constitutional scheme and forms part of the "Basic Structure" of the Constitution. This means the Parliament cannot amend or destroy this fundamental principle.

Statement (B) states that **Secularism is premised upon the separation of the public and private spheres of individual and collective existence**. This is a core feature of the classical concept of secularism (often associated with the Western model) and is implicitly recognized in the Indian model as well. Secularism mandates that while individuals are free to practice their religion in the private sphere, religious authority should not dictate law or policy in the public sphere, which is governed by the state. This separation ensures that state power remains religiously neutral and that individual religious freedom is protected from state interference.

**The incorrect option is 2 (Only B and C are correct):**

This option is incorrect because it includes statement (C) as correct, which is fundamentally flawed. Statement (C) claims that "In a secular society, the state requires the sanction of religion to legitimize its power." This directly contradicts the very definition of a secular state. The foundational principle of secularism is that the state derives its legitimacy from the Constitution and the people (popular sovereignty), not from any religious authority or sanction. If a state required religion's sanction to legitimize its power, it would be a theocracy or an established religious state, not a secular one.

**The incorrect option is 3 (Only A and C are correct):**

Similar to Option 2, this option incorrectly includes statement (C). As explained above, the state in a secular society operates independently of religious sanction. The state’s authority is civil and political, not theological. Furthermore, while the Indian model of secularism maintains a 'principled distance' rather than strict separation (as in the West), it still requires the state to be legally and constitutionally distinct from religious establishments. Therefore, statement (C) negates the principles established by statement (A).

**The incorrect option is 4 (A, B and C are correct):**

This option is incorrect because it suggests that all three statements are accurate. Since statement (C)—that the state requires the sanction of religion to legitimize its power—is antithetical to secularism, including it makes this option definitively wrong. A state that requires religious sanction for its legitimacy is, by definition, a non-secular entity. Both statements (A) and (B) correctly define core aspects of secularism, but the inclusion of the false premise in (C) invalidates this choice.