Supreme Court refused to entertain plea against government managing temple properties

The Supreme Court in the case Narendra Gour v. UOI And Ors observed and has refused to entertain a petition, inter alia, wherein seeking uniformity in endowment laws, as it is being found that the said prayers and averments made in the plea were not appropriate to grant relief. An objection has been raised by the petitioner that the “States are running temples”.

The court stated that the said court is unimpressed by the nature of prayers made and the averments and that is put to the Ld. Counsel that in the present format the court cannot entertain the Writ Petition.

The bench comprising of Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice A.S. Oka in the case observed and has asked the petitioner to withdraw the petition and file afresh, wherein the court seeks to file an appropriate relief. It has also been noted by the bench that the issue raised in the plea.

In its order, the bench stated that the said issue is confined to management by the Government of movable and immovable properties of religious places belonging to the majority.

Therefore, the Senior counsel appearing before the court implored the bench for considering that how the States are interfering in the affairs of the temples.

The bench of Justice Kaul reckoned, wherein the court seeing that the proper petition must come; with proper material. Not just one work who is waking up in the morning and decides to create another problem. In the said view, the petitioner was also being advised to withdraw and file a fresh petition.

The bench has expressed its concerns about the prayers and averments made in the petition, it has also been requested by the Senior Counsel it to be tagged with another petition filed seeking similar relief, wherein it is pending before the Apex Court.

In the present case, the counsel appearing before the court was referring to the petition filed by Advocate, Mr. Ashwini Upadhyay seeking to declare that Hindus, Jains, Buddhist and Sikhs having similar rights to establish, manage and maintain the religious places and to own, acquire and administer movable and immovable properties of their religious places which being just like Muslims and Christians.