Supreme Court declines permission for Muharram processions

New Delhi : The Supreme Court of India on Thursday declined to give permission for Muharram processions over the weekend across the nation, citing rising number of coronavirus cases.

"If we allow this procession across the country there will be chaos and one particular community will be targeted for spreading the pandemic COVID-19," Chief Justice SA Bobde said.

The Supreme Court was hearing a petition by Syed Kalbe Jawad from Uttar Pradesh, who cited the June order permitting the Rath Yatra festival in Odisha.

The Chief Justice said, "You are referring to the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra, that was at one place and one set route. In that case we could assess the risk and pass orders. The difficulty is you are asking for a general order for the whole country."

Justice Bobde went on to say, "We cannot risk the health of all people. If you had asked for one place, we could have assessed the risk."

The petitioner then asked the apex court for permission in Uttar Pradesh, claiming majority of Muslims live in the state.

The Supreme Court said the petitioner should go to the Allahabad High Court for permission. Besides the Chief Justice, the bench included Justices AS Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian.

Since March, the government has banned visit to place of worships, religious gatherings and processions.