HC Junks PIL Challenging UP Govt's Move to Hold Religious Events During Navratri

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a PIL challenging the state government’s decision allocating Rs 1 lakh to each district to hold religious events during Navratri and Ram Navami festivals and pay honorarium to artistes.

Upholding the Yogi Adityanath government’s decision to pay honorarium to the performers at the programmes organised at temples, the Lucknow bench of high Court has held that this does not amount to indulgence of the state in propagation of any religion or religious denomination.

In fact it is a simple secular activity of the state while it indulges in publicising the developmental work undertaken by the state, the court said.

A bench of Justices D K Upadhyaya and O P Shukla dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Motilal Yadav challenging the state government’s March 10, 2023 decision whereby it had allocated Rs 1 lakh to each district on the occasion of Ram Navami.

The court’s order was passed on March 22 but was uploaded on its website on Tuesday only.

In its order, the bench also observed, “If the state spends some money out of the taxes collected by it from the citizens and appropriates some amount for providing some conveniences or facilities to any religious denomination, it will not be violative of Article 27 of the Constitution of India.” “We have to always keep in mind that there exits a clear line of distinction between a secular activity and religious activity which may be undertaken by the State, like providing conveniences and facilities and indulgence of a State in maintenance and propagation of religion or religious denomination,” added the bench.

Saying that the petitioner had misunderstood the state government’s order, the bench observed, “The Government order does not make any provision for payment of any amount to any person, be it a priest in a temple or anyone else associated with the activities of the temple; rather, the amount is to be paid to the performers or artisans who may be performing on such occasions.”

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