A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justices AS Bopanna & V. Ramasubramaniun have sought response from the Centre and issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday seeking permission to open all religious places Pan India that have remained closed or have had restricted access due to the ongoing pandemic.
The plea was filed by Ahmedabad-based “Gitarth Ganga Trust’ seeking opening of the places of worship in the country. It highlights that the petition pertains to all religious institutions including Temples, Mosques, Gurudwaras and Churches in the country, which have had limited access or have remained closed as per guidelines under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The sole objective of the plea, as stated by the petitioner, is to protect the fundamental rights enshrined and guaranteed under the Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and (b), 25, 26 and 21. It contends that restrictions on religious places while businesses and commercial activities have begun is a discrimination against such institutions.
