ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News, on Thursday, released a statement acknowledging that the claim made by their journalist, Avani Dias, about the inclusion of 'secularism' in the Indian constitution since its independence in 1947 was "incorrectly implied".
Although the Supreme Court of India acknowledged in the 1960s that secularism is a fundamental characteristic of India's constitution of 1950, the word was officially incorporated through a constitutional amendment in 1976, ABC News clarified in a statement. This modification altered the description of India from being a "sovereign, democratic republic" to being a "sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic", it further said.
The statement by the TV corpoation follows the documentary titled 'The Story Behind India's Narendra Modi', where Avani Dias alleged that the main legal book of the country reads the state has been 'secular' since it gained independence from the British.
"When India was founded in 1947 after it got independence from the British, its constitution was written to say India is a secular country, which means it has to be neutral and open to all religions. The word secular is right there on page 33 in capital letters," she stated.
This sparked criticism as several viewers pointed out that the word "secular" was not a part of the original India's Constitution which was meticulously crafted and finalized in 1950, only three years later after the country's independence. It was only inserted in a constitutional amendment in 1976.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Dias has found herself in hot water. In April, the journalist allegedly lied about her visa being cancelled by the Indian government over 'critical reporting', and spread false information through her documentary released on June 5, the day when Lok Sabha election results were announced, according to media.