Contrary to the expectations of the advocates of secularization thesis, similar to other modernizing societies, economic development and democratic governance have not been a deterrent to the rise of religion in the public sphere in India.  The last few decades have also witnessed a significant rise in the number of religious/​ cultural organizations that participate in welfare and development spheres.  Despite the contested nature of its contributions, it is important to acknowledge the power that religion as an institution exerts on the process of governance and policy making today. This course seeks to investigate the ways in which religious actors, organizations and discourses interact with the state (both institutionally and at the level of discourse) and are regulated by different state institutions such as the legislature and the judiciary. An understanding of this process becomes even more vital in contemporary times as religion seems to have made a convincing come back in the public sphere in several societies across the world since the past two decades due to a variety of factors such as neo-liberal reforms, consolidation of diaspora communities who contribute liberally to religious groups, introduction of the internet and a growing attention to the idea of multiculturalism in a post ⁹⁄₁₁ world.