Law Students Challenge Ram Mandir Ceremony Holiday; HC To Hear PIL On Sunday

Mumbai: Four law students have filed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging Maharashtra government’s decision to declare a public holiday on January 22 for the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

A special bench of Bombay High Court, comprising Justices GS Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale, will hear the matter at 10.30 am on Sunday.

Petitioners Shivangi Agarwal, Satyajeet Siddharth Salve, Vedant Gaurav Agarwal and Khushi Sandeep Bangia — from Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Mumbai, Government Law College (GLC) Mumbai and NIRMA Law School Ahmedabad — said that declaring a public holiday to celebrate a religious event violated the principles of secularism enshrined in the Constitution.

The law students argued that a state government can’t associate with or promote any religion.

“An act of the government in celebrating and openly participating in the consecration of a Hindu temple, thereby associating with a particular religion, is nothing but a direct attack on the principles of secularism,” the PIL stated, as quoted by LiveLaw.

“Any policy regarding declaration of public holidays cannot be at the whims and fancies of the political party in power. Holiday can be declared perhaps to commemorate a patriotic personally or historic figure but not to celebrate consecration of Ram Lalla to appease a particular section of the society or religious community,” it said.

Maharashtra is among several states to have declared a public holiday or half-day holiday on the occasion of Ram Temple opening.