MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking restraint on the proposed Chhath Puja at Shivaji Park here on October four.
A division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice V M Kanade held that petitioner Pravin Singhal, a city-based lawyer, should first approach the government regarding the issue before moving the court.
The PIL contended that the Chhath Puja celebration backed by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam, is a political move keeping in mind the vote bank of Biharis staying in Maharashtra.
The PIL also stated that the puja is being done on the pretext of the threat given by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.
Singhal said in the PIL that Chhath was a festival typical of Bihar, and stands for truth, non-violence, forgiveness and compassion.
However, the proposed puja at Shivaji Park would defeat the very objective of Chhath Puja, and is likely to spread seeds of animosity and hatred between Marathi speaking people of Maharashtra and the migrants from UP and Bihar.
The PIL had also asked the court to book Yadav, Deshmukh, Nirupam and Samajwadi Party leader A U Azmi under Section 153 A (promoting enmity between two group) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
