Answer:

Historically, the defining characteristic of Indian society has been that it remained accommodative of variety of religious views and practice. Unfortunately it created the condition during freedom struggle of religion being used as potent political tool leading to communalization of politics and partition of nation. However, makers of constitution took the liberal view of religion considering it as the matter of individual conscience in which state has no role to play. This secular stand is reflected in article 25 of the constitution.

The Article 25 of the constitution guarantees the freedom of religion as fundamental right. It consists of two parts, freedom of conscience with respect to religion and free profession, practice and propagation of religion. However, enjoyment of these rights is subjected to public order, morality and health. The recent debates on religious conversions have brought the two provisions of the article into conflict. The right to freely profess, practice and propagate their religion has been used as by some religious organizations belonging to majoritarian religion to manufacture conversions by using external means of force or allurement. It impinges on freedom of conscience with respect to religious beliefs and practice. Further right to freely profess, practice and propagate their religion was conceived to give space to minority religions to exist in hindu majoritarian society. The constitutional makers were apprehensive of minority religions might lose its identity under influence of majority religion which goes against spirit of unity and diversity. Supreme Court also dismissed many anti-conversion laws in MP and Odisha as unconstitutional. Hence our constitutional makers have very broad vision and subtle understanding of how power operates in the deeply religious society like India.