New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to allow devotees to perform
Chhath Puja cannot be performed at the Yamuna bank because of the high level of pollution in the river, the Delhi High Court ruled on Wednesday.
Dismissing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking permission to conduct Chhath Puja rituals on the river bank located in Geeta Colony, the high court said the river is highly polluted and it can harm the devotees.
“It will be very harmful to you. The fact is that the river is so polluted that if you dip into it, there is the likelihood that person will suffer harm. We can’t allow that. The river itself is highly polluted,” a bench of chief justice Manmohan and justice Tushar Rao Gedela said.
The PIL, filed by Purvanchal Nav Nirman Sansthan, challenged the public ban on Chhath Puja on the banks of Yamuna which was first imposed during COVID-19 pandemic and re-imposed now.
Santosh Kumar Tripathi, Delhi government’s counsel, told the high court that if devotees are allowed to perform Chhath Puja on the riverbed, they are likely to fall sick as the Yamuna is highly polluted at this juncture, Live Law reported.
Tripathi further told the court that the Delhi government has earmarked 1,000 spots in the national Capital for devotees to perform Chhath Puja, and sufficient arrangements have been made for their convenience.
With air quality and pollution level being very high at this time of the year, thick toxic foam has been seen floating on Yamuna in Kalindi Kunj.
Th high court’s order is timely as on Tuesday, the first day of Chhath festivities, numerous devotees took a dip in the Yamuna as part of rituals despite thick layers of toxic foam covering its surface.