Delhi High Court Rejects Call for Sanatan Dharm Board

The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL seeking the formation of a 'Sanatan Dharm Raksha Board' to protect Sanatan Dharma's culture. The court, led by Chief Justice Manmohan, emphasized that such matters are policy-related and beyond judicial purview.

The Delhi High Court has declined to consider a public interest litigation (PIL) pressing for the establishment of a 'Sanatan Dharm Raksha Board' aimed at safeguarding the cultural and religious interests of Sanatan Dharma. The bench, headed by Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, highlighted that these issues fall under the government's policy domain, not judicial intervention.

The plea, filed by the Sanatan Hindu Sewa Sangh Trust through Advocate Ashok Kumar, argued that despite India being a secular nation as enshrined in its Constitution, there is a lack of governmental bodies for Sanatan Dharma followers, unlike other religions. It pointed out the absence of a protective framework for Hindu customs and practices, raising concerns over religious conversions that allegedly oppose the faith's values.

The petition claimed that the absence of a dedicated body neglects the rights and customs of the majority Sanatan/Hindu community in India. Furthermore, it noted that numerous temples are managed by the government, yet no national-level body exists to specifically protect Hindu interests, necessitating government intervention to right this imbalance.

(With inputs from agencies.)