The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation petition that sought a direction to the State to permit the conduct of Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations by prescribing standard operating procedures (SOP).
A Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam dismissed the petition filed by B. Ramaswamy of Thoothukudi. The court observed that the whole country had turned into a hotspot / Red zone and even advanced countries were struggling with the COVID-19 situation.
During the hearing, Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that the government had issued guidelines taking into account the pandemic situation. Installation and procession of idols in public and their immersion in water bodies were not permitted. The government has urged the people to celebrate the festival in their homes, he said.
Taking into account the submission, the court said that the decision taken by the government cannot be faulted with. In the considered opinion of the court, religious practices should yield to practical difficulties like the COVID-19 situation, the judges said.
