'Lord Shiva doesn't need anyone's protection': HC on plea against demolition of unauthorised temple
New Delhi, May 29: Lord Shiva does not need anyone's protection, the Delhi High Court observed on Wednesday while refusing to make the deity a party to a petition relating to removal of a temple constructed in an unauthorised way on the Yamuna river bed.
The high court said Lord Shiva would be happier if the Yamuna river bed and flood plains are cleared of all encroachments and unauthorised construction.
The court made the observations while refusing to set aside an order for demolition of the Pracheen Shiv Mandir situated at Geeta Colony close to the flood plains.
"The half-hearted plea by the counsel for the petitioner that Lord Shiva, being the deity of the temple, must be also impleaded in the present matter is a desperate attempt to give an altogether different colour to the entire dispute to subserve the vested interest of its members," Justice Dharmesh Sharma said.
The high court further said, "It goes without saying that Lord Shiva does not need our protection; rather, we, the people, seek his protection and blessings. There could be no iota of doubt that Lord Shiva would be happier if the Yamuna river bed and the flood plains areas are cleared of all encroachments and unauthorised construction".
The petitioner claimed that the temple acts as a hub of spiritual activities, drawing around 300 to 400 devotees regularly.
The plea claimed the petitioner society was registered in 2018 with the aim of upholding transparency, accountability and responsible management of the temple's assets.
The court said the land in dispute is meant for larger public interest and the petitioner society cannot claim any vested rights to continue to occupy and use it.
It said the land falls under Zonal Development Plan for Zone-'O' as approved by the Ministry of Urban Development.
The Master Plan Delhi, 2021, also envisages rejuvenation of the Yamuna through a number of measures including ensuring adequate flow of river by releasing water by riparian states, refurbishing trunk sewers, treating the drains, sewering unsewered areas, treating industrial effluent, recycling of treated effluent and removal of coliforms at Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) besides creating ecological balance by planting trees, it noted.
The court said the petitioner society has miserably failed to show any documents with regard to its title, right or interest over the land and there is no proof of the temple having any historical significance.
"Mere fact that prayers are offered at the temple every day and for that matter there are special events on certain festive occasions does not convert the temple in question to a place of public significance," it said.
It granted the society 15 days to remove the idols and other religious objects in the temple and shift them to some other shrine. If they fail to do so, the Delhi Development Authority is directed to ensure that the idols are placed in some other temple, the court said.
"DDA shall be at liberty to carry out demolition of the unauthorised construction and the petitioner society and its members shall not cause any impediment or obstacles in such a demolition process. The local police and the administration shall render full assistance in the said process in order to maintain law and order," the court said.
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Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends: officials
Cairo (AP): Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, while proposing that discussions on the larger question of its nuclear programme would come in a later phase, two regional officials said Monday.
US President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the US and Israel to go to war on February 28.
With a fragile ceasefire in place, the US and Iran are locked in a standoff over the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passes in peacetime. The US blockade is designed to prevent Iran from selling its oil, depriving it of crucial revenue while also potentially creating a situation where Tehran has to shut off production because it has nowhere to store the oil.
The strait's closure, meanwhile, has put pressure on Trump, as oil and gasoline prices have skyrocketed ahead of crucial midterm elections, and it has pressured his Gulf allies, which use the waterway to export their oil and gas.
The closure has also had far-reaching effects throughout the world economy, raising the price of fertilizer, food and other basic goods.
The proposal would push off negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme to a later date. Trump said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
The two officials, who had knowledge of the proposal, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani officials this weekend. The Axios news outlet first reported Iran's proposal.
It came as Iran's foreign minister visited Russia, which has long been a key backer of Tehran. It's unclear what, if any, assistance Moscow might offer now.
Strait of Hormuz remains blocked
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Iran's ability to choke off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has proved one of its biggest strategic advantages in a war that has often boiled down to which side can take more pain.
Oil prices have risen steadily since the war began and tankers full of crude became stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely transit through the strait and reach global distribution points.
On Monday, the spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at around $108 per barrel, nearly 50 per cent higher than when the war began.
Iranian foreign minister holds talks as negotiations with US stall
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Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire the US and Iran agreed to on April 7 that has largely halted fighting. But a permanent settlement remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in St. Petersburg on Monday morning ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period and what is happening now,” Araghchi said in a video interview posted by IRNA.
It comes as Pakistan has been seeking to revive stalled talks between Iran and the US, and negotiations had been expected in Islamabad over the weekend. Instead, Trump called off a trip by his envoys and suggested the talks could take place by phone instead.
Over the weekend, Araghchi made two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, which shares the strait with Iran. He also spoke by phone with counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter.
Oman's response wasn't immediately clear.
The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, also said Iran insisted on ending the US blockade before new talks and that Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries.
Trump says Iran has offered a much better proposal
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Trump told journalists Saturday that after he called off a trip by his envoys to Pakistan, Iran sent a “much better” proposal.
He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon”.
Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but the US wants to remove Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to build a bomb, should Tehran choose to pursue one.
Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group resumed two days after the Iran war started. Another 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US service members in the region and six UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been extended by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.
