This article focuses on the appropriation of ‘faith’ as a legitimate right under the emerging discourse of secularism endorsed by the Hindu Right. This is reflected in the Ayodhya decision which strengthens such redefining of the meaning of the right to freedom of religion in majoritarian terms. The Ayodhya judgment has been analyzed and critiqued as appropriating the discourse of formal equality and religious tolerance to provide an essentialist picture of Indian secularism favoring the agenda of the right wing Hindu nationalists. It argues in favour of a robust right to freedom of religion in a way that defends the rights of worship of Muslims, and in the process rescues one of the central planks of Indian secularism.