HC refuses to entertain PIL on Delhi Govt organising Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations amid COVID-19

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the Delhi government organising Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations amid COVID-19. The Court said that the PIL had been filed without proper homework and granted liberty to the petitioner to file it with proper averments.

Petitioner ML Sharma told a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh that he got to know through media that the Delhi Government has been inviting people to join Ganesh Puja organised by it.

The plea stated that the conduct and promotion of religious worship by the state and advertisement on television channels from the state treasury is contra to the Art 21, 25 and 14 and basic structure of secularism a serious injury to the constitutional mandate to the citizen of India.

"...petitioner on 7.09.2021 upon seeing advertisement upon CNBC and google in which Delhi Government has been calling people to join Ganesh Puja organised by the state government being contra to the Art 21, 25 and 14 and basic structure of secularism a serious injury to the constitutional mandate to the citizen of India," the plea said.

The plea sought the court's direction to respondents to declare impugned religious promotion, by the respondents as illegal, arbitrary, and amounting to corruption and criminal breach of trust being contra to the constitution.

This comes a day after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued an order that the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations will not be allowed at public places here in view of COVID-19. As per the directive, people were advised to celebrate the festival at home.

( With inputs from ANI )