No prior nod needed for religious prayer meetings at home if no law violated: Chhattisgarh HC
Bilaspur (PTI): The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that individuals do not require prior permission from authorities to organise religious prayer meetings at their homes provided no law is violated.
A single bench of Justice Naresh Kumar Chandravanshi made the observation while quashing notices issued by police to two petitioners, and directed authorities not to interfere with their civil rights.
As per the order delivered on March 24, the case pertains to two relatives from Godhna village under Nawagarh police station limits in Janjgir-Champa district.
The petitioners had been organising prayer meetings for followers of Christianity in a hall on the first floor of their residence since 2016.
They contended in their petition that despite no disturbance or unlawful activity during these gatherings, the local police had been issuing notices under section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to prevent them from holding such meetings.
The petitioners told the court that notices dated October 18, 2025, November 22, 2025, and February 1, 2026, were served to stop them from conducting prayer meetings at their residence.
They further submitted that the Gram Panchayat of Godhna had earlier issued a no-objection certificate permitting the gatherings, but later withdrew it under pressure.
Seeking relief, the petitioners urged the HC to quash the notices and restrain the police from interfering in their right to hold prayer meetings at their private residence.
Opposing the plea, Deputy Government Advocate Shobhit Mishra argued that criminal cases had been registered against the petitioners in the past and that they had even been jailed.
The petitioners had not obtained prior permission from competent authorities for organising such gatherings, prompting the police to issue notices, the state counsel argued.
The HC, in its order, noted there is no need to get prior permission from any authority for conducting a prayer meeting if it is organized without violating any law.
"The petitioners are registered owner of said lands where they used to organize 'Prayer Meeting' of the followers of Christianity since 2016. There is no such law restraining any persons to organize prayer/prayer meeting in their dwelling house. Further, there is no need to get prior permission from any authority for conducting prayer/prayer meeting if the same is organized without violating any law," Justice Chandravanshi noted.
If any nuisance is caused due to noise pollution or situation of law and order arises, then it is always open for authorities to take necessary action under provisions of the relevant laws, the HC maintained.
"The respondents/police authorities are directed not to interfere with the civil rights of the petitioners and also shall not harass them under the guise of enquiry," it said, and quashed the notices issued to them by the police.
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Ramdev criticises US, Israel over Iran war; video viral
New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has sharply criticised the United States and Israel over their conflict with Iran, in a video from a television interview that has gone viral on social media.
Speaking on a show aired by ABP News, Ramdev was asked whether India should support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was reported to have been killed on the first day of the war on February 28.
Responding to the question, Ramdev said, “You can kill a person, but you cannot kill his ideas, his philosophy, his mindset, his spirit, or his valour and heroism.”
He went on to express support for Iran, saying he may not know much about the country but believes its people cannot be subdued. Referring to the Shia Muslim community, he said no one could make them “bow down” or defeat them, adding that a significant section of Iran’s population strongly identifies with Khamenei’s ideology.
When asked about Netanyahu, Ramdev criticised both him and US President Donald Trump, saying they are “both cut from the same cloth.” He added, “I am not calling anyone a thief; I am simply citing a proverb it implies that they are both of the same ilk, and I consider them both to be war criminals. I consider them criminals against humanity; I consider them criminals against nature and the environment.”
He further said that the United States and Israel have “erected a Himalaya-sized mountain of political mistrust” and claimed that both countries would have to face the consequences for decades. “In this conflict, neither can America and Israel emerge victorious, nor can Iran be defeated,” he said.
Ramdev’s remarks come at a time when India’s position on the conflict has drawn attention. The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has maintained what it describes as “strategic autonomy” in foreign policy.
