K NATARAJAN DIRECTOR Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner seeks for t he issuance of a writ of mandamus, to forbear the respondents from introducing Vedic Astrology as a subject of scientific study in any of the Universities in India, pursuant to the circular with guidelines of the second respondent dt. 23.02.2001 in F. No. 1-38/2000 (CPP-II) or by issuing any directions relating to the subject matter.

(2.) ACCORDING to the petitioner, the introduction of Vedic Astrology as a subject of scientific study in the universities would involve unnecessary expenditure of public funds and will be of no benefit to the human beings. The petitioner would further contend that in a secular country like ours, which treats all religions alike, as given out in the Preamble of the Constitution, the introduction of the subject Vedic Astrology as a study in the field of education, would cause a dent in the secular set up. The sum and substance of the stand of the petitioner is that the introduction of this subject as a scientific study in any educational institution would only be in furtherance of the propagation of the principles of one particular community and therefore, such a step should not be permitted to take place.