Court dismisses PIL against ban on VHP's yatra

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court today dismissed a petition against the Uttar Pradesh government's ban on VHP's proposed Yatra from Ayodhya.
A division bench comprising Justice Laxmi Kant Mahapatra and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhaya dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a local lawyer Mahesh Gupta.
The PIL was filed yesterday, seeking a direction to the state government to allow the devotees to undertake the 84 kosi parikrama in Ayodhya from tomorrow.
"Since the petitioner has not pleaded any customary right to this parikrama regarding past several years it is dismissed," the court said.
On behalf of the state government, Additional Advocate General Bulbul Godiyal said, "Such type of parikrama was never organised in the past 50 years and as per Hindu belief it is performed in "Chaitra" month of the Hindu calendar which has already passed away as it was in between April 25 to May 20".

The court observed, "There is nothing in the writ petition to show that the 84 kosi parikrama is a religious custom followed at the place mentioned and it was stated by the state counsel that such a parikrama has never been undertaken in the last 50 years".

Court further said, "In the absence of any material showing that the parikrama proposed to be undertaken is a part of religious custom, no such direction can be issued as no right occurs. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed".
Godiyal told the court that the proposed period of the yatra between August 25 to September 13 is not for the religious purposes but it may be for political reasons.

She said that this parikrama could also pose a threat to maintaining status quo at the disputed site in Ayodhya as ordered by the Supreme court.
On behalf of the petitioner, counsel Dinesh Chand said that according to Hindu belief the king of Ayodhya performed the "yagna" in the "treta period" at a place in Makhurha in Basti district of UP, and so the parikrama has to be started from there.
He said that the parikrama of 84 kos is in remembrance of the Kaushal kingdom which consisted of this area spread over six districts and so the saints may be allowed to undertake it.