The Supreme Court of India, on Thursday, August 27, denied permission to carry out Muharram procession across India. The Supreme Court also asked the petitioner to go to the Allahabad High Court with the plea.
The Supreme Court was hearing a PIL filed by Syed Kalbe Jawad, a Shia Muslim leader.
Interestingly, the bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Rama Subramanian, that heard the petition said that there is a risk of the spread of Coronavirus if Moharram processions are carried out. And in that case, one community would be targeted for spreading COVID19. The bench further said, “We will not pass orders that could risk the health of so many people. You go to the high court.”
The Supreme Court also said that the decision given for the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra was one specific case where the Rath was scheduled to move from one point to another. Here in the case of Muharram, the processions would be carried out across the nation.
The bench allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition with the liberty to approach the high court with the limited prayer of holding a procession in Lucknow.
