Right To Religion Can Take Backseat When Right To Life Is Threatened: Madras HC

The Madras High Court on Friday, July 2, said that the right to practice religion is certainly subservient and takes a backseat when the right to life is threatened, reported The Indian Express.

Refusing to order the full-fledge reopening of places of worship in Tamil Nadu, Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said that such matters should be left to the state government to obtain relevant documents before imposing or easing curbs, reported Times Of India.

No Need To Interfere

The bench said in any case, it does not appear to be any arbitrary action on the part of the state for the court to interfere in the matter. The court disposed of a plea pleading for a direction to the state government to reopen all religious places in the state without any restriction.

Meanwhile, the state government had ordered to reopen the religious places on June 28 with certain restrictions.

The court pointed that necessary expert advice was taken by the state government before reopening the places of worship.

The bench also disposed of another PIL seeking to resume bus transport services, and the court said that it is the state government who has taken the decision on this.

On this, the judges pointed out that the second wave of COVID wave is not yet over and the risk of the third wave is looming large.

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