How do the Indian debates on 'secularism' differ from the debates in the West ?

Separation versus equality

The West argues over how high Jefferson's "wall" should stand, as in France's 2004 school headscarf ban; India argues whether all faiths are treated equally, as in the "pseudo-secularism" charge after the 1986 Act reversing Shah Bano.

Decline versus vitality

Western scholars debated the secularisation thesis, rooted in Weber's "disenchantment", which expected religion to fade, while in India religion stayed vibrant, so the debate is about coexistence.

Conscience versus community

The West centres on individual speech, as in the Danish cartoons row (2005); India centres on group rights under Article 30 and the Uniform Civil Code under Article 44.

Reform within religion

How far may the state reform faith, as Article 17 and temple entry under Article 25(2)(b) do?

Is secularism Western?

T.N. Madan and Ashis Nandy called it alien, while Amartya Sen traced tolerance to Ashoka and Akbar.

Secular versus communal

Here the opposite of secular is communal, so the debate pits composite nationalism against majoritarianism, sharpened by the Babri Masjid demolition (1992).