Supreme court asks parties to mediate Parsi priest issue again

The Supreme court on August 25 asked the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), and those fighting on behalf of Parsi priests expelled from entering Doongerwadi, to get into mediation process again.

Two priests, Khushro Madon and Framroze Mirza, were banned from entering Doongerwadi and two agiaries run by the Punchayet in 2009. They were banned for performing "irreligious activities" and were termed "renegades".

The activities included after-death prayers for Parsis who were cremated, religious ceremonies like navjot on children whose father was not a Parsi and conducting interfaith marriages.

The court gave the directives after two parties approached the court again, after former chief justice of India Sarosh Kapadia declined to mediate. Before Kapadia, the mediation was being handled by SC-appointed mediator, Sriram Panchoo. After prolonged discussions, there was no conclusive decision on the issue.

Post Panchoo's efforts, the Punchayet, in a majority vote ratio of 5:2, decided that they will be fighting out the case in the SC. While the priests had not filed any case, two petitioners who took up cudgels on their behalf.

Following the ban, former civic chief Jamshed Kanga and a prominent Parsi, Homi Khusrokhan, approached court. The HC had quashed the ban on the priests in 2011. This was challenged by the Parsi Punchayet in the SC, who then appointed a mediator to settle the dispute amicably in 2011.

"We have now given them names of two very prominent judges for mediation. If the punchayet agrees, we will approach the judges," said Khusrokhan. "On Tuesday, we will be putting the names in front of the other trustees and a decision will be taken based on that," said Dinshaw Mehta, chairman of the Punchayet.