“Secularism as the basic structure of the constitution has been held to be so on the basis of more than 50 years' experience of the working of the constitution. The complete apathy for all kinds of religious teachings in institutions of the State have not helped in removing mutual misunderstanding and intolerance inter se between sections of the people of different religious faith and beliefs.” This was stated by the Supreme Court of India in:

This statement about secularism as the basic structure of the Constitution was made by the Supreme Court of India in Aruna Roy Vs. Union of India (2002). In this case, the Court was examining the constitutional validity of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education. The Court observed that complete secularism requires the state to be neutral in matters of religion, and that the working experience of the Constitution for over 50 years demonstrated that secularism is indeed part of the basic structure. The reference to 'complete apathy for all kinds of religious teachings' reflects the Court's analysis of the secularism debate in educational institutions.