The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition that sought directions to the Uttar Pradesh government to dispose of dead bodies buried on the banks of river Ganga in Prayagraj, reports Bar and Bench.
Hearing the plea, a bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Yadav and Justice Prakash Padia dismissed the arguments of the petitioner that it is the responsibility of the state to perform cremation according to religious rites and dispose of the dead bodies in a dignified manner. The High Court asked the petitioner to inform the court regarding his contribution to the public interest cause.
“If you are a public-spirited person, tell us how many bodies you have been able to identify and give them decent burial or cremation,” the court asked the petitioner.
Court: There are traditions, there are customs and people from various communities reside on the banks of Ganga. Please show us the contributation you made to this cause? #allahabadhighcourt pic.twitter.com/22Qx7xgLrt
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) June 18, 2021
Responding to the High Court’s questions, the petitioner Pranvesh claimed that he had personally visited these places and added the situation is very bad. Noting that there are traditions, customs, and people from various communities reside on the banks of Ganga, the Court asked the petitioners to show the court the contribution he made in this cause before passing any order.
The court asked whether the petitioner had himself dug out and cremated bodies found on the banks of river Ganga.
“Everyone has visited these ghats, someone or the other has lost someone. We are not satisfied, we will not call for the affidavit. If this is a public cause then how have you contributed to this?” the High Court noted.
As the court asked the petitioners regarding the help he had rendered to people, the petitioner said that he had no records but claimed that he understood the situation was very devastating.
Court: You better do some research and withdraw, we are not entertaining such petitions.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) June 18, 2021
Pranvesh: The situation is very devastating
Court: We are not interested in respect of these heavy words and adjectives. There are ground realities you have not examined. #COVID19
Enraged by the arguments, the High Court slammed the petitioner, asking him to do better research and withdraw the petition stating that they were not entertaining such petitions. “We are not interested in respect of these heavy words and adjectives. There are ground realities you have not examined,” the court said.
The court asked to show some contribution and said it would otherwise impose a heavy cost, as the petition was not public interest litigation but a “publicity interest litigation”.
However, the petitioner contended that it was the responsibility of the state to perform cremation according to religious rites and dispose of the dead bodies buried alongside the Ganga River. The court rejected the argument saying why should the state do that, and asked whether it was the state’s responsibility if there is a death in a family.
CJ: You know we won’t allow such types of petitions, merely for the sake of it.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) June 18, 2021
“Please show some contribution otherwise we may impose a heavy cost because these are not public interest litigation, but publicity interest litigation.”#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/CyCEQkoVQQ
Dismissing the order, the Allahabad High Court noted that the petitioner had not done any research regarding the rites and customs which are prevalent in various communities living near Ganga and asked him to withdraw and file again with some research work.
