New Delhi, December 5
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking to declare late religious figure Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra as “Paramatma”.
A Bench led by Justice MR Shah imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on petitioner Upendra Nath Dalai for wasting judicial time by filing a “publicity interest litigation”.
Dalai wanted the top court to declare Chandra — a prominent religious figure born on September 14, 1888, in Pabna which now falls in Bangladesh — a ‘Paramatma’.
“We are not here to listen to your lecture. Is this a public interest litigation? How is it possible? Everybody’s free to follow his or her religion. How can we ask people to follow a particular religion? If you want you can consider him as ‘Paramatma’ (supreme being). Why enforce it on others?” the Bench asked the petitioner. “India is a secular country and the petitioner cannot be permitted to pray that the citizens of India may accept Sri Sri Thakur Anukul Chandra as ‘Paramatma’. This is not a genuine public interest litigation at all and it seems to be publicity interest litigation which deserves to be dismissed with costs,” the Bench said, imposing a cost of Rs 1 lakh on him.
