Postpone or cancel Charm Dham yatra: HC
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand high court has directed the state government to review its decision to start Char Dham yatra from July 1, citing worries over a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the deadly Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus.
“Perhaps the Char Dham Yatra needs to be postponed or cancelled, as already the Amarnath Yatra has been cancelled by the Jammu & Kashmir administration,” a division bench comprising chief justice
RS Chauhan and justice Alok Verma said.
The bench said a large gathering leads to a spike in Covid-19 cases. “A catastrophe like Covid-19 pandemic should not be re-invited by holding large gatherings at religious shrines and by permitting the Char Dham yatra by the state government. This court directs the state government to review its decision to commence the Char Dham yatra on July 1,” the HC order said.
The court gave the directions while hearing PILs related to issues regarding the fight against the pandemic in the state. The order, issued on Wednesday, was made available on Thursday.
On June 20, the state government announced opening of Char Dham yatra in two phases -- locals from Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts, where the four shrines are located, will be allowed for pilgrimage from July 1, and people across the state from July 11. On April 29, the state had postponed the yatra, which was scheduled to start on May 14.
HC said Uttarakhand had permitted the Kumbh Mela between April 1 to April 30,
which had drawn over six million pilgrims. According to the media reports, HC said, 59% of deaths due to Covid-19 occurred in Uttarakhand in May.
“Thus, there is a clear co-relation between the holding of Kumbh Mela in April and the consequent deaths which occurred in Uttarakhand in May. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that in April and May, the entire country was devastated by the second wave of Covid-19. The chaos and calamity need not be described in any detail,” the court said.
“Holding of Kumbh Mela and permitting congregation of lakhs of people on Ganga Dussehra at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar are clear proof of the failure of the civil administration to administer the precautionary SOPs prescribed by the Central and the state governments,” the HC said.
“The possibility of a large congregation descending on the temples and shrines of Char Dham cannot be ruled out…Once devotees start gathering in large numbers, invariably the first victim is the SOP; the second victims are the people at large.”
Citing the affidavit filed by the state, the HC pointed out medical facility is not available at Char Dham shrines.
Mentioning the reasons for a review of the Char Dham yatra, the court said the Delta Plus variant has started affecting Madhya Pradesh and southern states; it will soon spread to other parts of the country, including Uttarakhand. The court also pointed out that according to the government’s affidavit, the tourism department is yet to prepare the SOP for opening the yatra.
The court emphasised the need for live streaming of ceremonies of Char Dham shrines for the benefit of the people throughout the country. “After all, the same technology and procedure is being adopted by various temples across the country. Such live-streaming will give an easy access to the devotees to have the darshan of the deity, while keeping them safe from coronavirus,” the court said.
“The country has been warned that the third wave of Covid-19 will hit our children from prenatal age group to 18 years. If the children are lost or are being sacrificed at the altar of Covid-19, the loss will not only be of the parents, but also of the nation at large,” the order said.
HC directed chief secretary and additional secretary, culture and religious affairs department, to appear on June 28 through video conferencing, and inform about the cabinet decision on Char Dham yatra.