The Supreme Court on Friday passed an order allowing three Jain temples of Shri Parshwatilak Shwetambar Murtipujak Tapagacch Jain Trust to remain open for the Paryushana festivities for the remaining two days. The verdict added that COVID-19 protocols have to be strictly followed while carrying out the religious functions in the temples.
Breaking : SC allows religious functions at the Jain temples of SHRI PARSHWATILAK SHWETAMBER MURTIPUJAK TAPAGACCH JAIN TRUST by strictly following COVID19 protocols for “Paryushana”.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) August 21, 2020
SC clarified that the order cannot be treated as a precedent.#Maharashtra @OfficeofUT https://t.co/ge0ESgMsTG
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde passed the order, granting permission for the Jain Temple to remain open for the last two days of the Paryushana, that end on Saturday. The court has allowed opening of Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla and Chembur in Mumbai.
Furthermore, the apex court cautioned against using the verdict as a precedent for celebrations of festivals by other communities or trusts and stated that the order pertains to a single Jain Temple that the petitioner represents.
“At the outset, we must note that the interim prayer of the Petitioner before the HC was limited to open one Jain temple with Standard Operating Procedure during the Paryushan period” the order read.
CJI Bobde stated that the concession was granted to Jain Temples only and it cannot be applied to any other temple or Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, where a large number of people congregate.
“We must make it clear that the order, in this case, does not extend to any other Trust or any other temples. Our order is not intended to apply in any other case, particularly which involves a large congregation of people which by their very nature cannot be controlled,” the order said.
Bombay HC had denied permission to Jain Trust earlier
Earlier last week, the Shri Parshwatilak Shwetambar Murtipujak Jain Trust had approached the top court seeking permission to keep Jain Temples open during the Paryushana festival which commenced on August 15. The petition was against the interim order passed by the Bombay High Court on August 13.
