HC asks Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Nyas Parishad to reply to PIL

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court today permitted the counsel for the CEO of Shree Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Nyas Parishad to file his reply on a Public interest litigation (PIL) against deployment of police inside the sanctum sanctorum at the famous shrine.
The petition has sought a direction against deployment of police around the Garbh Griha of the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple at Varanasi on the ground that it caused inconvenience to devotees.
The court provided time to respondent (CEO) to file a counter-affidavit on or before July 15, the next date of hearing in the matter. A request was made on behalf of the CEO for the same.

A division bench of justice Dinesh Maheshwari and justice Rakesh Srivastava passed this order on a PIL petition filed by Hindu Personal Law Board through its president Ashok Pandey.
The petitioner had alleged that the deployment of police there is causing inconvenience to devotees as sometimes police personnel throw them out and misbehave, which hurt their religious sentiments.
The petitioner sought a direction for prohibiting deployment of police personnel inside the temple.

Earlier, on behalf of the state government, AAG Bulbul Godiyal had filed a counter affidavit justifying deployment of police inside the temple.
The AAG, while referring to a ruling, submitted that the responsibility of maintaining peace and security of the temple was equally that of the union and state governments, hence state police personnel have been deployed there.

She had further contended that the PIL was not maintainable in Lucknow as the matter in question relates to Varanasi.