On Monday, Supreme Court refused a PIL seeking Amarnath Yatra ban. And said, the government takes the decisions regarding religious assemblages and not the judiciary.
Amarnath Barfani Langars Organisation has filed the PIL. It is an organisation which provides a number of services to the pilgrims of the annual Amarnath yatra. The PIL says, only people in position there, are allowed for the pooja this year. The organization has requested for the yatra to be open to common pilgrims too. And also sought ways for live darshan.
The July-August popular annual Hindu pilgrimage, undertaken by up to 600,000 or more pilgrims to the 130 feet (40 m)-high glacial Amarnath cave shrine of iced stalagmite Shiv linga at 12,756 feet (3,888 m) in the Himalayas, is called Amarnath Yatra. – Wikipedia
Supreme court’s verdict
The PIL is presented to a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and KM Joseph. The jury refused the PIL saying that the decisions of whether to hold the yatra or not, falls under the domain of district administration and not the judiciary system.
The court said, “The issue as to whether yatra is held should be left with the local administration. Undoubtedly, any decision arrived at must be based on law and all relevant statutory provisions. The petition under Article 32 of the constitution would involve Supreme Court taking over functions of executive oversight which we are not inclined to do. As per principles of separation of powers, we leave it to the executive.”
It also added that the case should be evaluate considering the current situation of the state regarding the pandemic and other important factors which would affect the pilgrims and the state. Which falls under the domain of responsibilities of the state.
Every year around 10 lakhs pilgrims attend the amarnath yatra. The allowance for the pilgrimage will surely lead to the spread of the virus. However, the religious sentiments of the citizens may create more controversies about the ban.
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