SC stays high court order barring Ramleela festivities on UP school ground

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Allahabad High Court order which barred holding of Ramleela festivities in a school ground in Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh allowed the festivities to continue subject to the condition that no inconvenience is caused to students.

"Although we don't approve of holding religious festivities in school grounds but this Ramleela has been going on for past 100 years and festivities for this year began on September 14,” the Bench noted while staying the paragraph in the high court order which barred holding of the festivities.

It issued notice on the plea filed by Shree Nagar Ram Lila Mahtosav to the Uttar Pradesh government and asked the high court to direct the district administration to submit a proposal for another site in the future.

The Bench asked the high court to hear the Shree Nagar Ram Lila Mahtosav on the next date of hearing along with other stakeholders and submit a proposal for another site.

The top court also pulled up the petitioner Pradeep Singh Rana for not moving with his complaint earlier and filing the case only after the festivities began on September 14.

"This Ramleela has been going on for 100 years and you also accept this fact. Then what prevented you from moving the courts in advance and stopping the festivities. Neither you are a student nor you are parents of the students, what interest you have in stopping the festivities," the Bench told the PIL petitioner.

The PIL petitioner submitted that it was only after they started constructing a concrete wall that he had approached the high court for stay of the festivities.