Respecting god can't be regulated by court order: HC

Respecting god should be one's habit and it cannot be controlled or regulated through any court order, the Delhi High Court said today.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar further said no public interest litigation (PIL) was needed to show respect to the god.

"We as citizens should know where to put god's pictures," the bench said.

"This should be our habit. A citizen's habit cannot be controlled by a court order," it said and suggested to the counsel for the petitioner to run awareness campaigns to ensure that such pictures are not put up on the boundary walls of parks and other places.
 

The bench was hearing a plea alleging that pictures of gods were being put up only with a view to prevent people from urinating or throwing waste, without realising that it would hurt the sentiments of devotees.

It had also sought action against the authorities, saying they have failed to perform their duties.

The plea by Delhi resident Raju Mehra also sought direction to the civic bodies to remove the pictures of gods and goddesses from the boundary walls of parks and keep them in places of worship.

Expressing concern over the issue, the bench asked the civic bodies and other authorities to ensure that the petitioner's grievance was urgently addressed.

"Urgent steps be taken by the authorities to prevent such practise by the public," it directed and disposed of the PIL.