Hinduism way of life, not mandatory to go to temple to prove belief: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Observing that Hinduism is a way of life, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said it is not necessary for a Hindu to mandatorily go to a temple or perform a ritual in order to remain a Hindu and even lighting a lamp inside house is enough to prove one's belief.
The observation of a nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant came while hearing petitions related to discrimination against women at religious places, including the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, and on the ambit of religious freedom practised by multiple faiths, including Dawoodi Bohras.
Justices B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi are also part of the nine-judge bench.
As the hearing commenced on 15th day of hearing, advocate Dr G Mohan Gopal, appearing for one of the intervenors submitted that there has been demand for social justice emerging from within religious communities.
"Hinduism was defined as a religious category. Thereafter, in 1966, it was held that a Hindu is one who accepts the Vedas as the highest authority in all matters religion and philosophy. They never asked me. None of us ever said that.
"Now, I have the highest respect for the Vedas and great admiration for it. But is it a fact that every person today classified as Hindu accepts the Vedas as the highest authority in all spiritual and philosophical matters?" he asked.
Responding to his submission, Justice Nagarathna said, "That is why Hinduism is called as a way of life. It is not necessary for a Hindu to mandatorily go to a temple or perform a ritual in order to remain a Hindu."
She said one need not be ritualistic and nobody can come in the way for people having their faith.
CJI also remarked, "Even if an individual lights a lamp inside his hut is enough to prove his religion."
The hearing is underway.
The top court had earlier observed that if individuals start questioning every religious practice or matters of religion before a constitutional court, then there will be hundreds of petitions and every religion will "break" due to this.
A five-judge Constitution bench had lifted a ban that prevented women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in a 4:1 majority verdict in September 2018, ruling that the centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional.
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Three killed, four injured after truck hits autorickshaw in Delhi's Alipur
New Delhi (PTI): Three people, including a minor girl, were killed while four others sustained injuries after an autorickshaw was hit by a truck from behind in Delhi's Alipur area on Wednesday, police said.
According to the police, information about the road accident was received at the Alipur police station, following which a team rushed to the spot near Shiv Mandir in the area. A total of seven people were travelling in the autorickshaw at the time of the accident.
On reaching the spot, police found a damaged autorickshaw and several injured passengers lying nearby. The injured were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment, a police officer said.
A Delhi Fire Services officer said two persons trapped inside the auto were rescued using emergency equipment.
"Five other injured were already taken out by the public and a PCR staff before our arrival," he said.
“All the injured were taken to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela, where three persons, including a child, were declared brought dead,” the officer added.
However, four of them have shifted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital due to the seriousness of their injuries, he said.
The victims were identified as Mukesh, his wife Pinki, their six-year-old son and their nine-year-old daughter, Chotu Pandit (28), a resident of Bihar's Champaran, autorickshaw driver Raju Sharma (52), a resident of Karawal Nagar, and one unidentified passenger.
Among them, Raju Sharma, the nine-year-old girl and the unidentified passenger died in the accident.
Police said the condition of some of the injured persons is being closely monitored, and statements of the survivors will be recorded once they are declared fit by doctors.
Investigators said they are examining all possible angles related to the accident, including whether the autorickshaw lost balance due to speeding, mechanical failure, poor road conditions or possible negligence. Police teams are also scanning CCTV cameras installed near the accident spot and adjoining roads.
The damaged autorickshaw has been taken into custody for mechanical inspection and forensic examination. Efforts are also underway to ascertain the identity of the deceased unidentified passenger and inform the family members of all victims, police added.
A case has been registered and further investigation into the matter is underway.
