UNB, Dhaka: The High Court on Monday turned down a writ petition challenging the legality of the inclusion of Islam as the state religion of the constitution. An HC bench led by Justice Md Emdadul and Muhammad Khurshed Alam passed the order after a hearing on the petition. Supreme Court lawyer Somendra Nath Goswami, the petitioner, questioned the legality of declaring Islam as the state religion through the 8th and 15th constitutional amendments. Somendra Nath Goswami stood as the petitioner and deputy attorney general Murad Reza argued for the state. He said the inclusion of Islam as the state religion is contradictory with the constitution. The Law Secretary was made the respondent to the petition. As the constitution upholds the spirit of secularism as one of the principles, the inclusion of Islam as the state religion creates conflict with it, he noted. Earlier on August, 1, Somendra Nath Goswami filed a writ petition challenging the validity of the insertion of Islam as the state religion by the 8th amendment and placed in Chapter 2(A) by the 15th amendment of the constitution.
