This is what the Supreme Court has once again upheld after it disallowed Ganesh Puja on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi at Bengaluru Iddgah Maidan—which is under the control of the Waqf Board—and categorically asked the other party, which was mulling to conduct the Puja at the Iddgah, if the ceremony could be held at some other place. The SC noted that the space of Iddgah has never been used for any other purpose in the last nearly 200 years, making it clear that there is a need for maintaining the status quo on the issue.
Situations like these are always potent in vitiating the atmosphere, as we have already seen it happening in Gurugram where people of a particular religion were prevented from carrying out their religious activities on a particular piece of land. What followed there was scary and not only sowed a seed of hate among a few people but rather, the same spread on both sides as both sides remained adamant on the use of land. Various other examples could be cited where there was an infringement of the right to religious freedom, but the way, the SC has dealt with the case pertaining to the use of Iddgah Maidan for the Ganesh Puja, notes that every religion needs to be given the due respect, especially their places and spaces of worship.
No one from any religion has got the right to intrusion, or for that matter prevent anyone from practicing their religion; subjecting individuals from any religion to difficulties, or making them feel like strangers, and that is what forms the soul of the secular and democratic India, and to protect this hard-earned distinction, the institutions like Supreme Court stand tall and guarded. The focus has to be the respect for all religions because it is what forms the basis of harmony in any society, which ultimately paves a way for the overall transformation of the society into a progressive one, aiming to attain new heights in every walk of life. Taking everyone on board, and moving ahead, has always remained a key!
