Kerala High Court Judge VG Arun recently spoke at an event organised by the Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, where he strongly emphasised the importance of raising children free from any ‘religious influence’. “The hope for the future lies in children who are unbound by the notions of religion,” he claimed during his address.
Children raised without religion, caste are the hope for future: Kerala High Court Justice VG Arun
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) July 9, 2025
report by @GitiPratap https://t.co/8ClTnmF3um
Justice Arun praised parents who choose to raise their children without attaching religious or caste identities to their names. He remarked, “I laud each of you who send your children to school and teach them without linking their identities to religion or caste. These children are the promise of tomorrow. They will be the ones to ask the right questions, without fear, even in the face of societal opposition.”
His remarks echo his 2022 judgment in which he upheld the right to be recognised as non-religious in a secular country like India. The judgment came in response to a petition filed by a group of students who had passed their Class XII examinations and sought community certificates in the non-religious category for college admissions.
In the judgment, Justice Arun observed, “As has often been held, the objective of secularism is to ultimately reach a classless society. The declaration by certain citizens that they and their progeny are non-religious can only be perceived as a bold step towards that constitutional goal.”
The event was held to commemorate Pavanan, a prominent rationalist and writer known by his pen name. Another noted rationalist author, Vaisakhan, was felicitated for his contributions to rationalist discourse.
