Experts discuss religion-based community governance at DU

The Literary and Debate Committee of the Five-Year Integrated Law Course (ILC) at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, in collaboration with the DU Culture Council, organised a seminar titled ‘India’s Civilizational Heritage and Religion Based Community Governance.’

The event brought together senior Supreme Court advocates and constitutional scholars to discuss India’s architectural and religious heritage, the Ram Temple judgment and the importance of community-centric governance models.

Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak urged the Faculty of Law to link Indian philosophy with on-ground implementation through its newly established centre. Reflecting on the colonial period, he highlighted India’s resilience and called for an interdisciplinary approach involving history, language, theology, law and economics. Warning against the rapid pace of development, he said “urbanisation is a threat to traditional places and ‘modernisation’.” He stressed that governance without economic grounding is unsustainable, noting, “A community will get what it invests in.” He also encouraged young researchers to engage selflessly in civilisational studies.

Vishnu Shankar Jain, Advocate-on-Record, highlighted the need to revive heritage sites such as the Vishnu Temple in Khajuraho. Clarifying misconceptions around the ASI Act, he said Section 16(1) protects the religious character of monuments and permits their proper worship. Referring to the Ayodhya verdict, he said it marked a turning point in temple jurisprudence, reiterating that “once a temple, always a temple.” He added, “Temples have always been social and educational centres,” and called for deeper legal scrutiny of issues concerning temple and Waqf laws.