Bombay HC allows opening of these two temples of Mumbai for Diwali; rejects appeal for 100 others

The Bombay High Court has allowed two Jain Temples in Mumbai to be opened for devotees from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj for the Diwali Festival. However, these temples will have to follow the guidelines issued by the government regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Petition to open 100 other temples dismissed

A petition was filed in the Bombay High Court on behalf of Shri Trustee Atma Kamal Labdhisurishwarji Jain Gyan Mandir Trust and other trusts, requesting permission to open 102 Jain temples for 5 days. A division bench of Justice SJ Kathawala and Justice Abhay Ahuja rejected the demand for permission to open another 100 temples while hearing the petition.

Permission to open these 2 temples on time

While hearing the petition, the bench allowed the Jain temples of Dadar and Byculla to open 5 days during Diwali. These temples will be open from November 13 to 17 from 6 am to 1 pm and from 6 pm to 9 pm. During this time, only 8 people can go for 15 minutes in the hall of the temple.

The petitioner gave this argument

Advocate Prafulla Shah pleaded on the petition in the High Court. Appealing, he said that apart from opening malls, restaurants and bars, gymnasium, metro, and monorail, the Government of Maharashtra has also allowed BEST buses to run at full capacity. Thus, there is no reason why the temple cannot be allowed to open. The five-day period of Diwali is auspicious and important for Jains, so temples should be allowed to open.

The state government opposed the petition

Advocate Ashutosh Kumbakoni, representing the state government, opposed the petition and said that the petitioner's claim that five days is only important for the Jain community is not fair. This festival is also important for Hindus and hence petitioners should not be relieved.