Mr. Aum Kotwal who is the lawyer for the petitioner has knocked the door of the Gujarat High Court and raised serious concerns over the annual Rath Yatra that is all set to be carried out on June 23.
In the PIL filed in the High Court, the petitioner has raised several issues such as-
· Length of the entire Yatra being 19 km long and the route includes several containment and buffer zones that were initially demarcated by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).
· The guidelines issued by the Central government makes it clear that no such gathering is allowed. However, the Gujarat government has not cancelled the permission for which the Jagannath Temple had applied.
· It was not even included in the agenda item of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
· The PIL also raises concerns that social distancing cannot be followed and this creates a dangerous situation for the upcoming days.
· It mentions that the respondent trust, which is Shree Jagannathji Mandir Trust, ought to come forward and appreciate that the permission asked by them itself defies the guidelines and SOPs.
Aum Kotwal, the petitioner said “It is laudable, what the Court has stated and that it has rejected the applications challenging the stay on Yatra being carried out in Ahmedabad. It restores our faith in Judiciary and it should also instigate more faith in these religious festivals and direct us to appreciate and celebrate these festivals in their true essence.”
It is high time that the court understands that the situation is grim and the curve is far from flattening. The Court must supervise the matter under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and several guidelines laid down by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
To read the petition, click here