'No Right To Worship At Pvt Temple': Delhi HC Slaps Rs 1 lakh Cost On Man For Filing Plea As Lord Hanuman's 'Friend'

The Delhi High Court in a recent order imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on a man who filed a petition as a 'friend' and a worshipper Hindu deity Lord Hanuman in a land dispute.

High Court dismissed the case as a case of divinity by proxy.

Source : PTI

The Delhi High Court in a recent order imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on a man who filed a petition as a 'friend' and a worshipper Hindu deity Lord Hanuman against the transfer of a land to a private individual. The petitioner also made Lord Hanuman a party in the case. The petitioner moved the court against the transfer of land to a private party on which the Hanuman temple stood. The court while dismissing the petition asked the petitioner to pay Rs 1 lakh to the land owner for abusing the legal process.

A bench of Justice C Hari Shankar expressed displeasure at the attempt by the petitioner to grab the property in lieu of the temple. Justice Shankar observed that he never thought that a day would come where God would be a litigant before him.

High Court dismissed the case as a case of divinity by proxy.

No Concept Of Right To Worship At Private Temple Vested In Public

The bench noted that there was no concept of the right to worship at a private temple with the public unless the owner of the temple makes such a right available or in case the private temple tunrs into a public temple with passage of time.

The court said that mere worship by the public at a private temple does not convert it into a public temple as it would lead to disastrous consequences, which no civilised system of law could countenance.

The court noted that in the present case an attempt was made by the petitioner to grab the property of another person by making a temple over it. The court said that allowing such a pernicious practice would be driving the last nail in the coffin of justice.

The court  dismissed the plea and ruled that appellant man acted in collusion with the current possessors of the land to stop another party from regaining possession following a lawsuit between them and a settlement.

The case emerges from a property dispute between two separate parties. When the settlement was being executed, the present appellant, who is a third party, filed an objection saying there is a public temple on the property dedicated to Lord Hanuman and the land belongs to Lord Hanuman and that he was entitled to protect Lord Hanuman's interest as his next friend, as a deity is a minor.