HC asks Jharkhand govt's reply on petition seeking opening of Baidhyanath Temple in Deogarh

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday asked the state government to file a reply to a petition seeking opening of the Baidhyanath Temple in Deoghar and allowing Kanwar Yatra next month.

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday asked the state government to file a reply to a petition seeking opening of the Baidhyanath Temple in Deoghar and allowing Kanwar Yatra next month. Hearing the petition filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, the division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad also asked to make Bihar government a party and sought replies from the Deoghar deputy commissioner and Baidyanath Dham Temple Management, Dubeys counsel Ravi Prakash Mishra said.

Devotees fetch water from the Ganga at Sultanganj in Bihar and then walk over 100 kilometres with 'kanwars' to pour water on the 'Jyotirlinga' at the temple. The bench fixed June 30 as the next date of hearing.

In his petition, the MP from Godda constituency urged the court to allow the opening of Baidhyanath Temple to let devotees offer prayers in July and August when Shravani Mela and Kanwar Yatra are observed. Citing the recent directives of the Supreme Court for allowing Rath Yatra at Puri with certain conditions, Dubey in his petition urged the court to pass an order as it may deem fit.

Making the Central and the state governments as respondents, the writ petition also urged the High Court to allow opening of Basukinath temple, about 40 km from Deoghar, as devotees who offer puja at Baidhyanath temple also visit Basukinath temple. The two temples are among the religious places which are closed following the lockdown under the Disaster Management Act as part of the fight against novel coronavirus.

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