Delhi HC rejects PIL against sticking deities’ images on walls

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected a plea filed by an advocate against the practice of sticking images and posters of deities on walls in order to prevent public urination, spitting and throwing garbage.

A division bench led by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, which had earlier reserved its order on this matter, dismissed it.

The plea was filed in a form of a PIL, moved by advocate Gorang Gupta, alleging that even though people are making use of deities' images as a means to put an end to public urination, it is leading to harming the religious sentiments of people at large.

The PIL also stated that public urination and littering seriously denigrates and disparages the sanctity of sacred deities' images.

The petitioner sought the court's direction to the Delhi government, the New Delhi Municipal Council, the Delhi Cantonment Board, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to put a ban on sticking such posters and images.

"The common practice of affixing the photographs of deities on the walls to prevent open public urination, spitting, and throwing garbage has created a serious menace in the society as these photographs do not guarantee the prevention of these acts rather there is no ounce of shame and people publicly urinate or spit or litter on the 'sacred' images of the deities," the plea read.

In view of the above, the petitioner claimed that this very act is in violation of sections 295, 295A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, as well as Article 25 of the Constitution of India as it is harming the religious sentiments of the general public at large.