Delhi HC dismisses PIL against affixation of images of deities on walls

New Delhi [India], December 19 : The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to the authorities to prohibit the affixation of images of the deities on the walls for the prevention of open public urination or spitting on the sacred images or littering garbage around it.
The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice of Delhi Satish Chander Sharma also comprising Justice Subramonium on Monday dismissed the plea.
According to the petition, people are using pictures of deities in various places to stop public urination. However, these measures are leading to harming the religious sentiments of people at large.
The petitioner Gaurang Gupta, a practising advocate stated that the images are "sacred '' to the followers of the religion and that public urination, spitting and throwing junk is a menace for the public at large and doing these acts on the sacred images of God is an excess of the rights given under Article 19(1)(a) and thus, are liable to be reasonably restricted.
Urination, spitting and throwing junk in the image of God be considered to desecrate the sanctity of the images of God. Thus, it is in excess of Article 19(1)(a) and can be curtailed as per Article 19(2) under the reasonable restriction of public order, decency or morality, stated the plea.
The continuance of this malicious practice of using the pictures of God to prohibit public urination, spitting and throwing junk is greatly violating Article 25 of the Constitution of India. Religion is a very significant aspect of the social fabric of India and the use of revered pictures for such a pm1Jose is hurting the sentiments of the public at large and this will have a large-scale negative impact on the society at large, the plea read.