July 7,2018:
Supreme Court's Constitution Bench will decide whether There Public premises and State-owned land can be used for performing ‘Ram Leela’, ‘Mata Ki Chowki,’ and implicitly, other Religious Functions?".
On Friday, Supreme Court referred the question to a Constitution Bench when a petition filed by an organisation Jyoti Jagran Mandal came up for hearing before it.
Petition challenged an order by National Green Tribunal (NGT) denying it permission to hold a ‘Jagran’ (overnight prayer meeting) and ‘Mata Ki Chowki’ at a park in South-West Delhi.
Apex Court Bench comprising Justice RF Nariman and Justice Indu Malhotra was of the opinion that “such religious activity” cannot be held in public places.
Justice Nariman stated that,“We think that what the NGT has done is right,”.
To this Advocate appearing for petitioner submitted that,‘Mata Ki Chowki’ was similar to “Ram Leela”, which the NGT had allowed through an October 10, 2017 verdict.
Question would also pertain to performance of other religious rituals in public spaces.
Petitioner’s lawyer Ayyubi further added that his client had been conducting the jagran for the last 40 years at the park.
Source Hindustan Times
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