Overview
- A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi dismissed Lt. Samuel Kamalesan’s appeal and left intact the Delhi High Court order upholding his 2021 termination.
- The court called his behavior the grossest kind of indiscipline, described him as a misfit for the Army, and declined a plea to reduce the penalty.
- Judges noted a pastor had advised that entering the regiment’s worship space would not violate Christian tenets, yet the officer still refused to enter the sanctum.
- Army records showed repeated counselling and a review by the Chief of Army Staff concluding further retention was undesirable because his conduct harmed unit cohesion and morale.
- Commissioned in 2017 into the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and leading a Sikh-majority squadron, Kamalesan argued Article 25 protections, but the court said only essential practices merit protection within the armed forces context.