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Plea in Bombay High Court challenges move to make Good Friday an optional holiday

The plea states the notification issued by Central Government, it has included Good Friday as a compulsory holiday

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A petition was filed on Wednesday before the Bombay High Court, challenging a notification issued by Collector of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Diu Daman, making 'Good Friday' an optional holiday instead of a compulsory one, for government employees. The Christian community is going to observe Good Friday on April 19.

A division bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N M Jamadar, posted the matter for further hearing on April 10. As per the plea filed by Anthony Francisco Duarte, through his advocate Jayant Bardeskar states "This is the first instance in the history of Union Territory, (UT), that Good Friday has not been notified as a public holiday. Ever since these territories came under the Indian Union, it has has always been declared as a public holiday considering that many Christians, are residing in far flung areas of these UT. "

The plea states the notification issued by Central Government, it has included Good Friday as a compulsory holiday. But due to this notification, Good Friday which enjoys the stature of being a holiday across the country except for the two Union Territories.

It is also argued that sentiments of the minority community in general and of the Christians in particular are outraged. The Christian community celebrates only three religious holidays, namely, Good Friday, Christmas and Easter out of which only two of them become effective since Easter always falls on a Sunday. Therefore, excluding Good Friday from the list of compulsory holidays is highly discriminatory.

The petition also raise an issue of discrimination among communities by saying that the authority has for the current year granted a total of ten holidays for the Hindu community out of which two are new additions which were not included in the previous year's list. Such additions were made at the expense of two crucial and landmark events in the annual calendar of minority communities, Good Friday and Milad – un – Nabi.

Further, the notification deprives the Christian community of their freedom of religion as granted under Article 25 of the Constitution of India. It thus prays for directions to declare the notification as illegal and quash and set aside it and direct the authorities to declare Good Friday as a compulsory holiday.

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