Article 19. Sir, is very comprehensive. It says: “All persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.” Now, as to freedom of conscience: It means that a man is free either to have a religion or no religion. If a man has a religion, then he is free to profess whatever religion he likes, either Islam, or Hinduism, or Buddhism or Sikhism and so on. Then, professing that religion, he is free to practise the dictates of that religion. For instance, if Islam requires that there should be a namaz, a Muslim is free to practise it and also to propagate it. What I would humbly submit is this: The wearing of kirpan may more appropriately be called the practice of religion than the profession of the Sikh religion. This is all I have to say.
