Namaskaram,
The Court has sided with Arsha Vidya Parampara Trust on this matter, to allow their registration. I don't know the details, whether it was a purely legal matter for the FCRA or whether there were ideological motivations behind the original rejection of the trust. I also did not know that a trust won't be registered if it has a religious nature. But in order to bypass these complications, the Court has said that Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta are not "purely religious" texts but in the category of "moral science" or "pure philosophy".
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Madras High Court – FCRA Ruling (Core Meaning)
The Madras High Court ruled that teaching or promoting the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, and Yoga does not constitute “religious activity” under Indian law, and therefore cannot be used as a ground to deny or cancel foreign funding under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act).
What the Court clarified
The Court made three crucial legal distinctions:
1. Bhagavad Gita
The Court held that the Gita is primarily a work of moral philosophy and ethical guidance, not a sectarian religious text.
It teaches:
• Duty (dharma)
• Self-discipline
• Self-realization
• Ethical action
Therefore, teaching the Gita is education in moral science, not religious preaching.
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2. Vedanta
Vedanta was classified as a philosophical system concerned with:
• Consciousness
• Reality
• Self-knowledge
It is comparable to Western philosophy, not to religious ritual or worship.
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3. Yoga
Yoga was held to be a civilisational and scientific discipline, dealing with:
• Physical health
• Mental discipline
• Psychological well-being
It is not religious instruction.
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Why this matters
Under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA):
Foreign money cannot be used for religious propagation, but can be used for education, research, culture, and social development.
The Court ruled that:
Teaching Gita, Vedanta, or Yoga falls under education and cultural activity, not religion.
So NGOs teaching these subjects are legally entitled to receive foreign funding.
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Constitutional significance
The judgment reaffirmed that:
• India’s civilisation predates modern religions
• Its philosophical traditions are part of national culture, not sectarian faith
• The State must not misclassify Indian knowledge systems as “religion” to suppress them
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In one sentence
The Madras High Court held that Gita, Vedanta, and Yoga are civilisational systems of knowledge—not religious preaching—and therefore cannot be restricted under India’s FCRA.
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