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Gandhi Statue Is Not A Place Of Worship

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-09-08 11:49:05

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

Mahatma Gandhi is regarded as the Father of the Nation. But can he be regarded as God and should the act of paying respect to him be considered an act of worship in the manner people worship deities? Can the place where his statue is erected be called or considered a "place of worship"? These were the questions that came up before the Karnataka High Court when a PIL was filed asking the court to cancel the licence granted by the state excise department for a liquor vend near a Gandhi statue.

The PIL was filed by a Bengaluru-based advocate A V Amarnathan. He cited Rule 3(3) of the Karnataka Excise Licences (General Conditions) Rules, 1967, to claim that since the proposed liquor vend was within 30 metres of the Gandhi statue on MG Road in Bangaluru and since people visited the statue to pay respects to the Mahatma, it should be considered a place of worship under the said rules and the licence should not be granted.

The court categorically said that the Gandhi statue was not a "place of worship" and could not be considered so by any stretch of the imagination. The bench said that even the Mahatma would not have reconciled to the thought of people worshipping him. It refused to grant the plea on that basis.

Indians have a penchant for deifying human beings. There are thousands of so-called Godmen in India who are 'worshipped' by their followers. Temples exist for film stars, especially in south India. Amitabh Bachchan is worshipped in a temple in Kolkata. At various times, cricketers and others are also accorded the status of 'God'. But that does not mean that the courts will consider these as "places of worship." Newer meanings cannot be assigned by the courts to any place in order to grant relief, otherwise the very purpose of the rules will be defeated. 

Picture courtesy: Deccan Herald

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