SC allows Paryushana prayers in three Jain temples in Mumbai

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed devotees to offer Paryushana prayers in three Jain temples in Mumbai, following guidelines, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The apex court permitted devotees to visit Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla and Chembur on the last two days of Paryushana on August 22 and 23 to worship the Jain Tirthankaras.

The apex court said that the Centre`s SOP on opening religious places should be followed. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said, "We direct the petitioners shall follow the SOP."

The top court allowed the three temples under the control of the Svetambara Pagan Jain Trust to be opened for the last two days of Paryushana. It said, "The Trust has said to allow only five people to go to the temple at a time."

The Supreme Court said to lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Maharashtra government, "you are allowing the mall, market, liquor shop to remain open unattended because income comes from there". The state counsel has opposed the opening of the temple during the Paryushana festival of the Jain community.

The bench was hearing an appeal against the Bombay High Court order which had said that it did not wish to interfere with the state's decision of not to permit Jain temples in Mumbai to open for devotees to mark the eight-day Paryushana festival from August 15-23 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The apex court said that the permission given to the Jain temples should not become a precedent for demands for permission to Ganpati festival or any other religious festival coming up in Maharashtra. 

The SC said that the Ganpati festival cannot be allowed as the crowd is uncontrollable. It added that the permission for Ganpati festival will have to be taken on a case-to-case basis from the Maharashtra Disaster Management Authority. The apex court said that no permission for prayers would be given for any other temple in Mumbai.