Maharashtra rolls back circular on religious pictures in offices

After pulling out from its two-decades-old alliance with the BJP in Mumbai, Thane and some other corporations on Thursday, the Shiv Sena on Friday asserted its aggressiveness by pressurising the Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, to roll back a circular which bars all government and semi-government offices and educational institutions in the state from displaying religious idols and texts and celebrating festivals on their premises.

DNA has learnt that the said circular now stands ‘cancelled’ on  “technical grounds” and the officer who issued it will face action for going beyond his ‘brief’.

The circular was issued by the Rural Development Department on January 4, asking offices and institutions to take down all such symbols as it is against the Constitution. However, it came to light only two days ago at a time when tensions between the alliance partners – BJP and Shiv Sena – were at their peak. Sena and the Hindu Janjagriti Samiti had criticised the government move.

Government sources said, “Firstly, it wasn’t a circular at all. It was just a letter written by an official of the Rural Development Department. So there is no question of rolling back the circular. Secondly, the said official went beyond his/her jurisdiction to do so.