Religious Activities update
CA Raj Chawla
Quotes of the day:
1. When you are too Fast to get somewhere, You miss the Fun of getting there. Life's not a Race, So take it Slower & Enjoy the Music before the SONG is OVER.
2. Excellence is not for someone else to notice, its for your own satisfaction. Don't climb a mountain with an intention that the World should see you, climb it with the intention to see the World. Self satisfaction should be the most important aim for any human being.
Religious Activities update:
1. 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:
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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
7. 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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With best regards
CA (Dr) Raj Chawla
B.Com (Hons), FCA, FCS, FCMA, LLB
MIMA, DISA, MICA, Phd, ASA (Aust), CMP (USA)
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