Navratri Celebrations Get Green Light As Police Ban Is Revoked

The Delhi Police Commissioner's order banning public gatherings of five or more individuals from September 30 to October 5 has been revoked, the Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court on Thursday. Citing the impending Navratri festival, Mehta submitted the response to senior lawyer Maneka Guruswamy's appeal for an expedited hearing.

"With Navratri approaching, this has an effect on the City,” Guruswamy informed the bench, which was presided over by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, that Ramlila and Durga Puja celebrations could not take place.

"When the Solicitor General says the order has been withdrawn, nothing remains in this now," CJI Chandrachud said. The petitioner, Sunil, who is a priest at the Kalkaji Temple and the secretary of the Manas Naman Sewa Society, which hosts the Ramlila fair at the Satpula Ground in Chirag Delhi, claimed that the original order seriously violated citizens" rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(b), and 19(1)(d) of the Constitution, which guarantee equality and freedom to its citizens; Article 21 safeguards the fundamental right to life and personal liberty; and Article 25 grants Indians the right to religious freedom, albeit with certain limitations.

The petitioner further claimed that the order made Delhi residents anxious about how it might affect their religious customs. Citing authority under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the Delhi Police Commissioner issued the order on September 30 that forbade public gatherings in the districts of New Delhi, North, and Central Delhi, as well as in close proximity to Delhi's boundaries, for a period of six days.

The proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, the MCD Standing Committee election disputes, the DUSU elections, the planned protests by various organizations, and the impending elections in Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana were all mentioned by the police as reasons for the delicate law and order situation.

According to the petition, the police were trying to evade their duties by limiting lawful meetings rather than maintaining law and order. Additionally, it noted that prior to this, other religious celebrations had been allowed without such limitations.

Author:
Aarya Kadam (News Writer) is a final-year BBA student and a creative writer with a passion for current affairs and legal Judgments.