This Hyderabad Couple Is Fighting For Their Right To Reject Religion

One of the fundamental mandates for any successful judicature is the separation of church and state. The number of people disillusioned with the modern concept of religion is on the rise and the backward notions surrounding caste are slowly fading; making the mandatory ‘religion’ fields in most government forms seem totally irrelevant. In Hyderabad DV Ramakrishna Rao and S Clarance Krupalini - an inter-caste, inter-religious couple - are fighting a legal battle to provide for a non-denominational option in all official forms.

The couple and their children have denounced the concept of religion and identify as atheists but every time they fill out a form, they are required to fill in a field for both religion and caste. Their journey started in 2010 when their young daughter was joining school and they were forced to enlist her under a specific religion. They have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and on Tuesday the High Court of Hyderabad issued a notice for the government of Telangana and Andhra, along with the Centre to respond in two weeks. Their only request is that an option should be made readily available for people who choose not to identify with any preordained religion As Ramakrisha says “Our basic point is that, right from birth to death, a person should be able to claim his identity, outside of religion and caste, if they choose to. Our present system does not provide such an option,”

Indian atheists face persecution not only on paper but also in daily life. Earlier this month, Tamilian activist and atheist H Farook was murdered in Coimbatore. A photograph of his child on social media held a placard that read ‘Kadavul illai, Kadavul illai, Kadavul illai (No God, No God, No God)’. This just goes to show how unyielding the countries masses can be when it comes to religion.

The campaign has taken to the internet with an online petition and are amassing a large number of supporters from the Indian atheist population. The right to religion should logically include the right to not have a religion and until that truth is recognised by Indian lawmakers, the non-religious section of society will never be free to live life on their own terms.