Delhi HC said there are other ghats and specific areas where the people can do the puja safely.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused devotees’ permission to perform Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna River in the national capital, citing severely contaminated water and toxic foams.
A PIL was filed in the High Court, which contested the ban on the ritual and asked for permission to perform the Puja on the banks of the Yamuna River. However, the court did not give any direction on the issue and merely referred to the acute contamination in the river’s water.
A bench headed by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court said, “If people are allowed to offer Puja in the river, it may result in health problems”. The court referred to a news item in which a person who dipped in the polluted water fell ill and had to be hospitalised.
While dismissing the petition, the High Court noted that an alternative puja site, numbering about 1,000 sites, had already been allocated, with sufficient preparation for the celebration. The Court added that other ghats and places have been provided where the public can do puja without any restraint in a safe manner.
It will be very harmful to you. The fact is the river is so polluted that if you dip into it, there is a likelihood that a person will suffer harm. We can’t allow that. The river itself is highly polluted,” the bench said.
The court noted that the ban would not have come into force unless the pollution level in the Yamuna River was dangerously high, stating that a bath in such toxic water might make people fall ill.
