Jahanvi Agarwal
Over the weekend, in a special setting, the Bombay High Court rejected a petition filed by four law students opposing the Maharashtra government’s declaration of a public holiday on January 22 for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Lalla Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Four determined law students hailing from various esteemed law colleges have knocked on the doors of the Bombay High Court, challenging the recent decision by the Maharashtra government to declare January 22, 2024, a public holiday in light of the Pran Pratishtha (inauguration) of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Seeking an expedited resolution, the diligent petitioners, Shivangi Agarwal, Satyajeet Salve, Vedant Agrawal, and Khushi Bangia, have swiftly approached the High Court registrar to establish a special bench for an urgent hearing. The legal saga unfolds with a designated bench, featuring Justices GS Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale, poised to delve into the matter on January 21, 2024.
The crux of the petition lies in challenging the government’s authority in proclaiming public holidays, particularly one tethered to the religious spectrum. The petition vehemently contends, “Any policy regarding declaration of public holidays cannot be at the whims and fancies of the political party in power. Holiday can be declared perhaps to commemorate a patriotic personality or historic figure but not to celebrate consecration of Ram lalla to appease a particular section of the society or religious community.”
The students, representing institutions such as Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Government Law College (GLC) Mumbai, and NIRMA Law University, Gujarat, steadfastly seek the annulment of the January 19 notification.
Draped in constitutional concerns, the plea asserts that such governmental gestures infringe upon the sacrosanct principle of secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution. It boldly declares that these public holidays, ostensibly crafted for political objectives and appeasement, wreak havoc on the secular fabric of the nation.
Echoing concerns over the collateral damage inflicted by such holidays, the students emphasize the adverse impacts on education, finances, and the functioning of essential services due to the closure of schools, banks, and government offices.
In a legal twist, the petitioners also take aim at the 1968 notification issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, challenging its empowering of states to declare public holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Case Name: Shivangi Agarwal & Ors v. Union of India & Anr.
Bench: Justices GS Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale.