Seer files plea in SC seeking uniform code for religious, charitable endowments

PTI, Jul 31, 2021, 1:02 PM IST

New Delhi: A fresh PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking uniform code for religious and charitable endowments and referred to the control of authorities on Hindu temples across the country, unlike certain other groups which are allowed to manage their own institutions.

The plea has sought directions that Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs have similar rights to establish, manage, and maintain their religious places like Muslims, Parsis, and Christians.

The plea filed by seer Swami Jeetendranand Saraswatee  has also sought directions to declare that Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs have similar rights to own, acquire, and administer movable-immovable properties of their religious places like Muslims, Christians, and Parsis.

The PIL contended that the petitioner has reasonable belief that the states are discriminating in the matter of management of religious affairs by controlling the religious places of only certain religious denominations like the Hindus and Sikhs.

Articles 26-27 does not leave scope of any discrimination between the religions in the matter of management of religious affairs, the plea said.

The petition stated that the state is neither constitutionally competent nor capable of running the management of the religious affairs which consists of unique rituals and practices which are very personal to the believers.

The PIL also sought to direct and declare that all the laws made to own, acquire, and administer movable-immovable properties of temples and gurudwaras are arbitrary, irrational and offend Articles 14, 15, 26.

The plea filed through advocate Sanjai Kumar Pathak has also sought to direct the Centre or the Law Commission of India to draft a ”Common Charter for Religious and Charitable Institutions” and ”Uniform Code for Religious and Charitable Endowments”.

Earlier, a similar plea was filed by advocate and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay seeking uniform code for religious and charitable endowments and referred to the control of authorities on Hindu temples across the country.