SC permits 3 Jain temples in Mumbai to offer Paryushan prayers.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, three Jain temples in Mumbai get Supreme Court’s permission to allow devotees to offer Paryushan prayers.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of India gave its nod to three Jain temples for allowing devotees to offer Paryushan prayers in Mumbai amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the apex court specifically told that no other temple in Mumbai will be permitted to offer prayers. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde stated that permission for the Ganpati festival celebrations will need to be taken on a case-to-case basis from the Maharashtra Disaster Management Authority. The top court in their statement said that it directs the petitioners to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), while allowing devotees to visit Jain temples at Byculla, Dadar, and Chembur.
Supreme Court allows devotees to celebrate the Paryushan festival at three temples in Mumbai:
The petitioners made an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order which had stated that it didn’t wish to interfere with the state government’s denial of granting permission to Jain temples in Mumbai for allowing devotees to mark the eight-day Paryushan festival. The state government had not given permission citing the aggravating COVID-19 situation in the city.
Ganpati festival should be permitted on a case-to-case basis, says SC:
The bench which also comprises Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian stated that the Ganpati festival in Maharashtra cannot be permitted as it is different and may become uncontrollable. The bench said that if five people go together in a Jain temple at a time, then it would not cause problems to the Maharashtra government. Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the state government said that the issue should be left to the executive state government, as Mumbai has around five lakh Jains, and the governing body has to look at the interest of everybody.
