Supreme Court judge Justice KM Joseph on Monday said he is a Christian but still very fond of Hinduism.

Justice Joseph, who was heading a bench that also comprised Justice BV Nagarathna, made the remark while hearing a petition seeking the formation of a renaming commission for restoring the "original" names of ancient, cultural and religious places in the country that have been "renamed" by barbaric invaders.

"I am a Christian but still I am very fond of Hinduism, which is a great religion and should not be belittled. The heights which Hinduism has reached and is mentioned in Upanishads, Vedas and Bhagavad Gita is unequal in any system. Hinduism has reached great heights in metaphysics. We should be proud of this great religion and not belittle it."

"We should be proud of our greatness and our greatness makes us magnanimous. I am trying to study it. You should also read the book of Dr S Radhakrishnan on the philosophies of Hinduism. In Kerala, there were several rajas who had donated land for churches and other religious places," he said.

The bench, which dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) matter filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, said India is a secular country and it cannot be a prisoner of the past.

Justice Joseph pointed out that religious worship has nothing to do with the naming of roads and said Mughal emperor Akbar had tried to create harmony between various communities.

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