Allow witnesses to swear in the name of Constitution: Petition in Bombay High Court

Two petitions have been filed in Bombay High Court seeking liberty to people who practice "atheism" to take oath in the name of Constitution in the courts, instead of swearing in the name of God.

In a PIL, a Pune-based couple, Sunil Mane and his wife Laxmikanta, cited a couple of cases in Maharashtra at Bhiwandi Magistrate Court and Pune District Court wherein senior government officials have told the court that they do not believe in God and expressed their willingness to take oath in the name of Constitution but unfortunately they have not been permitted, the PIL said.

In another petition, an officer of Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation has made a similar plea. Both the petitions are slated to come up for hearing in due course, High Court sources said.

"People who are not believers of God but have full faith in the Indian Constitution are getting denial during judicial proceedings at various levels in Maharashtra when they request that they be administered oath in the name of Indian Constitution," the PIL said.

"It is high time to make the oath system suitable to democracy and in accordance with the spirit of Indian Constitution," the PIL states.