SC allows 3 Jain temples in Mumbai to reopen for worshipers on last 2 days of Paryushan

On Friday, a Supreme Court bench headed by CJI SA Bobde allowed three Jain temples in Mumbai to reopen for worshippers on August 22 and 23. Thus, prayers can be offered at the Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla, and Chembur on the last two days of the Paryushan festival. The apex court was hearing an appeal against the Bombay High Court order dated August 14. 

The HC had rejected a petition seeking permission for Jains to offer prayers at their temples for the Paryushan festival, observing that the COVID-19 situation was not conducive for reopening places of worship. The SC bench directed that the Centre’s SOP for religious places should be followed. However, it clarified that this concession cannot be applied to any other temple and for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, which involve a large congregation of people.  

Read: Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's Tally Rises To 29 Lakhs; 3,34,67,237 Samples Tested

Maharashtra opposed to reopening places of worship

Places of worship remained shut for worshippers since the commencement of the nationwide lockdown on March 25. Easing the norms, the Ministry of Home Affairs allowed the reopening of religious places across India from June 8 onwards. However, the Maharashtra government chose to retain the earlier restrictions in the wake of the state recording the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. While refusing to give any concession for the Paryushan festival, the state government informed the Bombay HC that it would consider the demand for opening places of worship once it revised the lockdown guidelines again. 

Read: Mumbai: BMC Makes Institutional Isolation Mandatory For COVID Patients Over 50 Years

Maharashtra records highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases

On Thursday, August 20, Maharashtra recorded 14,492 novel coronavirus cases, propelling the state's COVID-19 tally to 6,43,289. At present, there are 1,62,491 active cases in the state. With 12,243 COVID-19 patients discharged in the day, the number of recovered soared to 4,59,124. 326 deaths were reported on Thursday. 

Until now, a total of 21,359 persons have died owing to COVID-19. So far, a total of 34,14,809 samples have been tested for the novel coronavirus in various laboratories across the state. While 11,76,261 persons are under home quarantine, 37,639 others have been admitted to institutional quarantine centres. The COVID-19 positivity rate, recovery rate and fatality rate in Maharashtra stands at 18.84%, 73.91%, and 3.32% respectively. 

Read: Amid COVID-19, Extreme Poverty Could Increase To 100 Million: World Bank