Supreme Court allows devotees to offer Paryushan prayers in three Jain temples in Mumbai

• A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde however said that permission for Ganpati festival will have to be taken on a case-to-case basis from the Maharashtra Disaster Management Authority.
• The apex court said that no permission for prayers would be given for any other temple in Mumbai.

The Supreme Court Friday allowed devotees to offer Paryushan prayers in three Jain temples in Mumbai amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde however said that permission for Ganpati festival will have to be taken on a case-to-case basis from the Maharashtra Disaster Management Authority.

The apex court said that no permission for prayers would be given for any other temple in Mumbai.

"We direct the petitioners shall follow the SOP," the bench said, while permitting devotees to visit Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla and Chembur.

The bench was hearing an appeal against the Bombay High Court order which had said that it did not wish to interfere with the state's decision of not to permit Jain temples in Mumbai to open for devotees to mark the eight-day Paryushan festival from August 15 to 23 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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