SC notice to Centre, UP on Ayodhya worship plea

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre and UP government on the plea seeking removal of the restrictions to facilitate the devotees to worship lord Ram at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice A K Ganguly and Justice B S Chauhan also sought responses of Faizabad District Commissioner and others on an application filed by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy alleging that unreasonable and unnecessarily harsh regulations have been imposed on the performance of puja by the devotees.

The court granted four weeks time to the concerned authorities to respond to the plea and posted the matter for hearing on August 31.

Swamy contended that the regulations imposed on the puja by Uttar Pradesh government in consultation with the Statutory Receiver, the Commissioner, Faizabad District, were unreasonable and unnecessarily harsh.

“According to this applicant (Swamy), these (regulations) are highly derogatory, humiliating and unreasonable and particularly harsh on aged, infirm or even female devotees,” the affidavit placed by him in support of his application said.

He said the restrictions imposed 16 years ago has been causing hardships for performing puja.

Janata Party chief had said the matter has to be heard urgently as the question of public health and morality arises in it and he was “seeking relief on behalf of the devotees”.

Swamy had sought that the “overzealous oppressive restrictions” be relaxed within the main framework of the ingredients of the status quo ordered in Section 7(2) of the Acquisition of Certain Areas Ayodhya Act.

He had submitted that the earlier order of the apex court on May 10, 1996, directing maintaining of status quo had stayed all “the humane directions passed by the Allahabad High Court to facilitate and ameliorate the conditions for Hindu pilgrims visiting the shrine.”

Swamy had further submitted that the status quo order passed by the apex court in the special leave petition pending before it was acting as a hindrance and sought implementation of the directions passed by the High Court. Mr Swamy had clarified that he was not asking for a Ram temple be built at the site.