Gujarat HC rejects all pleas for Jagannath Rath Yatra in a midnight hearing

In a midnight hearing after the state government filed an appeal, the Gujarat High Court stayed its order of not permitting Jagannath Yatra in Ahmedabad, beginning from Tuesday evening. The bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala took up the hearing late on Monday night after a series of pleas were filed in the HC registry post-Supreme Court's earlier in the day permitting the Yatra to take place in Puri, albeit under strict guidelines.

READ: Gujarat Reports 563 New Coronavirus Cases; 21 More Die

High Court rejects all pleas

The Gujarat High Court started the urgent hearing at around12:45 am and passed its order around 2 am on Tuesday, saying there can be no comparison between the coronavirus pandemic situation in Gujarat and Odisha. The plea had been filed by the state government and five other parties, including an NGO. 

The state government had made several proposals to ensure that the virus will not spread and Temple authorities also remarked that the Yatra will not take its the usual route, will be without public participation and will conclude by 11 am.

READ: Gujarat Govt Seeks HC's Nod To Allow Ahmedabad Rath Yatra After SC's Nod To Puri

The High Court had earlier expressed shock at the government granting permission to the yatra in May, amid rising COVID-19 cases. The state reported 563 cases and 21 deaths due to coronavirus on Monday. The state now has 6,278 active cases with 67 patients in critical condition and on a ventilator, the state's health department said. Ahmedabad reported314 out of the total 563 new cases in the state, while Surat reported 132 and Vadodara 44. 

The High Court's stated that it had rejected the proposal earlier on two prominent grounds - Supreme Court's decision on the Yatra in Puri and the coronavirus situation in Ahmedabad. The court continued that even though the SC had overturned its decision and had permitted the yatra, the situation in Puri and Ahmedabad cannot be compared and that the city in Gujarat was still registering a high number of coronavirus cases.

READ: SC Gives Nod For Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra: Read The Apex Court's Conditions Here

SC's verdict

A three-judge SC bench comprising CJI SA Bobde, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice AS Bopanna permitted the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra to take place in Puri. The bench stated that the Rath Yatra can be conducted safely along its usual route from temple to temple if there is no public attendance. 

The Supreme Court asked the Centre, Odisha government and the Temple committee to work in tandem to conduct the Rath Yatra. Moreover, the apex court also emphasised that there would be no compromise on the health of people amid the COVID-19 outbreak. It also directed Odisha government to stop the Yatra in the case of a public health emergency. About 10-12 lakh devotees usually gather for the Rath Yatra. 

READ: Supreme Court Allows Jagannath Rath Yatra To Take Place In Puri With Restrictions